Contentious ‘Job-Ready Graduates’ legislation passes Senate but opposition warns it will lead to US-style debt

The Government’s contentious Job-Ready Graduates Bill passed the Senate today, and is set to become law as early as tomorrow, allowing for the doubling of some university courses. The legislation will increase the cost of humanities units by 113 per cent and law by more than 40 per cent, while courses in science and maths will go down. Labor, the Greens and Independents including Rex Patrick and Jacqui Lambie all fiercely opposed the Bill, with the crucial vote lying with Centre Alliance Senator Stirling Griff. But Centre Alliance education spokeswoman Rebekha Sharkie revealed on Tuesday the South Australian party would be supporting the legislation in exchange for certain protections for SA university students. The Bill was subsequently passed this afternoon 28 votes to 26, with amendments to make good on the deals done with Centre Alliance and One Nation. These included a commitment to discount fees by 10 per cent for students who paid upfront, and protections to excuse students who fail more than half their units because of special circumstances. Under the amendments, Adelaide University, the University of South Australia and Flinders University will be given more than three per cent extra funding to increase the number of Commonwealth-funded places at each campus. In an effort to get the legislation and the tax cuts proposed in Tuesday night’s Budget through during this sitting week, the Government has scheduled an extra sitting down tomorrow. The changes to fees will kick in from next year. Shadow Education Minister Tanya Plibersek said the legislation would lead to “American-style” debts and mean fewer Australians would consider university. “I don’t think Australians want an American-style university system where people graduate with debts that take them a lifetime to repay, if they ever repay them,” she said on Tuesday. “You would think at a time of recession when we have so many people joining unemployment queues, that we would make it easier, simpler and more affordable to get an education. This Government is doing the exact opposite.”