Questions on BURF and VSU in Senate

Senator STOTT DESPOJA (2.57 pm)—My question

is addressed to the Minister representing the Minister

for Education, Senator Carr, and I refer to the

government’s consultations with the higher education

sector on how to restore student services and facilities

lost as a result of the impact of voluntary student unionism.

Given that it is now mid-May, the process began

on 17 February, submissions were due by 11

March and, of course, there have been a number of

campus visits by government representatives during

that time, can the minister inform the Senate whether

or not the government intends to release its report on

this issue, and when can we expect to see the report?

Senator CARR—I thank Senator Stott-Despoja for

her question. We in government are concerned about

ensuring that there is improvement in the level of service

provision for students. In regard to that measure,

the government has provided $500 million for a better

universities renewal fund in the 2008 budget, which

will provide universities with money to support infrastructure

in the key priority areas of information technology,

laboratories, libraries, student study places,

student teaching places and student amenities. The

government does acknowledge that there is a need for

student services and amenities and for students to have

access to independent and democratic representation.

Student services and amenities—counselling, child

care, health services, sports clubs, societies and the

like—are essential parts of a student’s life and have

been hard hit by the previous government’s voluntary

student unionism legislation.

Universities Australia estimates that $172.8 million

was collected from student services and amenities

charges in the year prior to the introduction of VSU

and that in total $100 million was provided by the previous

government in transitional funding over the following

four years. So only a small proportion of funding

previously received from fees prior to VSU was

directed to sporting infrastructure grants. So, many

universities do not have adequate student amenities,

and a proportion of the $500 million Better Universities

Renewal Fund of the 2008-09 budget will allow

universities to provide support for amenities where

needed. This funding will provide support while the

government considers the written responses it has received

from its discussion paper released earlier this

year. That gives an opportunity to consider the feedback

from the widespread consultations that are being

undertaken by the Minister for Youth within the sector.

The government have no plans to reinstate compulsory

student unionism and we will not be returning to the

hefty up-front fees that the previous government allowed

to exist at some universities. I will ask the minister

directly responsible whether or not she has anything

further to add to that answer.

Senator STOTT DESPOJA—Mr President, I ask a

supplementary question. I thank the minister for his

response. I acknowledge that he referred in his answer

to student amenities, which are obviously in the budget

papers. And I see comments today by the Minister for

Youth talking about student amenity projects at their

discretion. But can the minister explicitly clarify for

the chamber today what projects and services that

money in the renewal fund will be used for in relation

to the ones he has referred to? The minister talked

about democratic representation and he talked about

services, not just amenities. Is the minister telling the

chamber that that renewal money will specifically go

to student services, not just general amenities, and

therefore hard infrastructure, as we have come to believe

as a result of Tuesday night’s budget?

Senator CARR—The fund that the government announced

in this year’s budget will have as a priority

area projects associated with the development of student

amenities. What the government are concerned

with doing is ensuring that we have sustainable longterm

solutions to addressing the impacts of VSU. Obviously,

the minister directly responsible for this area

will be announcing further details of that in due course.

The program initiatives that were announced in the

budget will be the subject of further discussions between

the respective ministries, because it is a fund

that affects the services with regard to the provision of

information and communications technologies, laboratories,

libraries, student study places, teaching spaces

and student amenities. These are projects that the universities

will come back to the government on. (Time

expired)