Labor aims to increase the number of students completing university by 20,000 a year under its higher education policy.
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A federal Labor government will pay universities more money per student rather than deregulate fees, in a move that will cost the budget a net $2.5 billion over the first four years.
“We can not afford a deficit of ambition for higher education”, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told an audience at his alma mater Monash University, where he released details of the policy.
The Group of Eight, which represents the country’s most prestigious universities and is a leading advocate of deregulation, said the policy provided “a solid platform for funding and recognises the importance of universities in equipping Australia for the future through our graduates and our research”.
The guarantee would equate to a per student boost of $2500 a year from 2018, which an independent costing shows is 27 per cent more than under the coalition.
He said every dollar spent on university education generated a return of $26 and thus “the economic case is emphatic”.
But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has foreshadowed his government’s plans for higher education may change.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says it’s about making sure everyone has access to university, including those from disadvantaged families, first generation migrants, indigenous Australians and mature age students. “We’ll develop new policies”, he said.
“And to ensure the value of this investment is protected over time, not eroded, Labor will ensure it is indexed and sustainable into the future”.
It would also build financial incentives for universities to lift their performance into new funding and accountability charters. “We need two strong credible policies driving our major parties”.
Mr Shorten will use the speech to insist universities would have to keep costs down and would not be handed a blank cheque. This fuelled a big increase in university participation, but Labor is now emphasising a desire to improve quality within that system.
“If there is criminality found by this royal commission, that is a matter which needs to be looked at, but I don’t accept that everything that this royal commission is doing was started with the best of motivations, nor do I believe that this process has been entirely fair”, he said.
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New minister Simon Birmingham took over the portfolio on Monday and Mr Turnbull noted there were “political realities” to deal with. He said he would consult the sector before taking any proposals to cabinet and reaching a position that he could “happily talk to the world about”.
