Election 2007: Door wide open for reform in higher ed

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Association welcomes the Australian Democrats’ higher education policy, and their continued commitment to a higher education sector that is accessible, affordable and adequately funded.

“We welcome the Democrats’ long standing commitment to the core issues of fees, income support and adequate sector funding, and their unequivocal position on repealing VSU” CAPA President Nigel Palmer said. “The door is wide open for reform in all of these areas, and the Democrats are again true to their vision of an equitable and sustainable higher education sector.”

Notable in the Democrats’ policy statement are commitments to ensure all commonwealth scholarships are tax free, measures to reduce the HECS repayment burden, and the abolition of full fee degrees for all domestic students (including postgraduates).

“The Universities Australia report on student finances released earlier this year confirmed income support reform as one of the most pressing issues in higher education. As the election campaign unfolds, we look forward to seeing more detail from each of the parties on how they aim to address this. From CAPA’s perspective tackling these issues is simple:

1) Extend eligibility for living allowances (Youth Allowance and Austudy) to all postgraduates, and

2) Increase the duration of the Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) to at least 4 years, the number offered by at least 20%, and the stipend rate by at least 30%

"We congratuate the Democrats on their vision and on their continued commitment to higher education in Australia. We look forward to seeing the major parties take up the Democrats' challenge in the details of their policy releases as we approach election day" Mr Palmer concluded.

CAPA's priorities for the 2007 election are available from the CAPA website at www.capa.edu.au/election-2007.