Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations first student peak body to meet with PUP SenatorPalmer United Party Senator Jacqui Lambie has today pledged her support for the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations’ campaign to stop cuts to the Research Training Scheme and fees on PhDs, in a move that all but guarantees that the Budget measure will not pass the Senate.
In her first meeting with an Australian student peak body, Senator Lambie sat down with CAPA President Meghan Hopper in Canberra today to reaffirm her party’s commitment against university fees and in favour of improved student consultation.
“We are thrilled to receive Senator Jacqui Lambie’s strong support for our No Fees on PhDs campaign today and know that with the support of the crossbench, we will be able to stop Christopher Pyne’s proposed cuts to the Research Training Scheme” said President of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, Meghan Hopper.
“These cuts of $174m to the Research Training Scheme, which add up to 10 per cent of the pool of funding for domestic students to undertake PhDs and Masters by Research, would have a terrible impact on Australia’s research economy and would place a roadblock in the way of Australia’s future research leaders” Ms Hopper said.
“As a result of these dramatic cuts, Universities would be given no choice but to charge fees on PhDs and Masters by Research of up to $3900 a year – a move that Palmer United Party Senator Jacqui Lambie has indicated she will oppose, in line with her Party’s opposition to university fees” Ms Hopper said.
“Our No Fees on PhDs campaign has already had the support of Labor Party and Greens Senators, who have pledged to vote against the Research Training Scheme cuts on our website www.capa.edu.au/newfee; but now to have the confirmed support of an influential cross-bench Senator is exactly the outcome we needed to stop this terrible Budget policy” said Ms Hopper.
Senator Lambie recently joined the National Tertiary Education Union’s campaign against deregulation but had not previously made any statements specific to the Research Training Scheme or fees on PhDs.
Ms Hopper also discussed proposed changes to the Student Services and Amenities Fee with Senator Lambie and shared some of the outcomes of CAPA’s soon-to-be-released Save Our SSAF survey of over 500 postgraduate and research students from across Australia.
“Senator Lambie indicated very strongly that she believes more consultation needs to be undertaken with the end user of higher education – the student – and that she welcomes the contribution of bodies like the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations to the discussion around changes to the higher education sector” Ms Hopper said.
Meghan Hopper, President of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations
0421 807 303 / president@capa.edu.au
