16 News

Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has lashed the Government for refusing to back her bill which would provide relief to millions of Australians struggling under the weight of soaring student debt. 

Despite the vast majority of evidence received through the inquiry supporting the measures in the bill to end indexation and raise the minimum repayment income, the Committee still recommended that the bill not be passed.

Senator Faruqi’s dissenting report is here.

Senator Faruqi said:

“Labor has ignored the loud, desperate calls from students, graduates, young people, women, unions, think tanks and experts for urgent action to address the student debt crisis. The committee majority relied selectively on evidence provided by a handful of witnesses to justify what seems like a foregone, ideological conclusion.

“The committee’s recommendation is an insult to everyone who provided evidence in support of the bill, especially those individuals who gave brave and harrowing testimony of how student debt was affecting their lives.

“By teaming up with the Liberals, the Government has shown that they are completely out of touch with the reality of millions struggling with student debt. 

“The growing burden of student debt is making news every day and it’s beyond clear that urgent intervention is warranted. But Labor has elected to sit back and watch as millions of Australians are hit with a student debt avalanche on June 1. 

“The Labor Government’s priorities are all wrong. Modest measures to relieve the student debt crisis are apparently unaffordable, but Labor has hundreds of billions to splurge on dangerous war machines and tax cuts for billionaires.

“By choosing inaction, Labor  is choosing to make life harder for millions of people, especially young people and women who are on the front lines of almost every crisis we face: whether it be cost-of-living, housing, student debt or climate. 

“Corporate profiteering is driving inflation and students are paying the price. 

“An education system that traps graduates in a debt spiral and forces them to repay student loans when they are barely earning above the minimum wage is unsustainable and broken. 

“Soaring student debt is locking people out of the housing market, inflaming the cost of living crisis, crushing dreams of further study, stopping people from starting families and causing enormous mental and financial stress”

Submissions to the University Accord process show that the fee hikes and funding cuts associated with the Job Ready Graduates scheme should be scrapped.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Deputy Leader and Education spokesperson said:

“The Job Ready Graduates scheme is a cruel, punitive mess which desperately needs a clean-up. Fee hikes and funding cuts that punish students and deprive staff of resources was a disgraceful plan from day one and must be scrapped.

“Labor spoke a big game in opposition calling the scheme beyond repair, but have done nothing to reverse the harms of this policy disaster. In government, and with a progressive parliament, they have the numbers to immediately scrap these fee hikes and funding cuts to give some reprieve to a struggling sector.

“It’s clear as day that Job Ready Graduates was a disaster and yet Labor is refusing to act. It’s a pathetic abdication of responsibility.

“Labor needs to wake up to the fact that they are in Government. They don’t have to mindlessly continue Morrison’s mistakes, whether it be the Stage Three Tax Cuts or the Job Ready Graduates scheme. 

“The intention of the Job Ready Graduates scheme was objectionable in the first place and it was a  furphy that this scheme would encourage students into the so-called priority degrees. Students should be able to study whatever they want. 

“Universities do not exist to churn out “job-ready” students. Education is not just about getting a job, it’s about learning and acquiring knowledge. 

“All the scheme has done is condemned generations of young people to decades of debt and pushed universities further into strife. It has entrenched gender inequality as women overwhelmingly study the courses which were hit hardest by the fee hikes and are incurring more and more student debt. 

“Ultimately, education is a basic human right and a public good. Higher education should be free and fully funded by government with staff having secure work and fair wages and conditions”

One Nation has a responsibility to address misconceptions and provide accurate information on important issues. Recently, Dr Bede Harris, a constitutional law researcher at Charles Sturt University, made several claims about the Voice to Parliament that we believe warrant repudiation.

We declare the Doctor’s statements to be based on left-wing bias and should be rejected by academia and all Australians. Dr Harris’ opinions appeared as an official post of the Charles Sturt University. 

First and foremost, Dr Harris argued against the notion that the Voice to Parliament would create apartheid in Australia, a comparison that has been made by many leaders, including our party leader, Senator Pauline Hanson. While Dr Harris lived in South Africa during the apartheid era, we strongly disagree with his assessment.

Apartheid in South Africa was a system of enforced racial segregation and discrimination, which denied civil rights, including citizenship, to Black South Africans. Contrast South Africa’s apartheid to Australia, where race-based laws are already enacted. Our contention is that racial segregation in Australia will only intensify after a ‘Voice’ gives racists, particularly those that hate non-Aboriginal Australians, legitimacy.

Examples of race-based legislation are laws segregating white and black Australians from accessing public lands such as recreation areas across Australia, or public funds available to Aboriginal Australians that are not available to the other various races that call Australia home. This is the exact definition of apartheid. Australians should call out apartheid-deniers at every opportunity. 

Dr Harris also dismissed the argument that the Voice would signal discrimination between Australians on the basis of race. He wrongly pointed out that race is a purely social concept with no basis in science. If he were right, then Labor’s race-based referendum legislation wouldn’t exist, and he would accept One Nation’s call to have all Australians unified as one group, one people, one country. But the Doctor doesn’t accept we’re one race. Instead, courts, the media and the elites have all used methodology (science) to classify white and black Australia into special groups, so that a small number of us enjoy privileges above and beyond all other Australians. That is the very definition of ‘scientifically’ segregating the nation based on race. It is an ideology we fully reject. 

Furthermore, Dr Harris challenged the notion that the Voice would hinder government decision-making. He wrongly argued that the objections raised by constitutional conservatives are based on confusion between the communication of views to the government and the judicial review of government decisions under administrative law. His argument has been smacked down by the more intelligent and highly regarded constitutional law experts such as the distinguished former High Court Justice, Ian Callinan.

Mr Callinan recently wrote in The Australian that he foresees the Voice leading to “a decade or more” of legal disputes. This was particularly concerning because the Australian High Court has a history of expansive interpretations of constitutional matters. There is no confusion among genuine scholars of the law at all, the High Court will likely expand the ‘Voice’s’ power, which is a grave concern for us all.

Dr Harris also mentioned the poor standard of civics education as a factor that may contribute to the misunderstanding of the Voice by the public. One Nation is committed to fostering informed and respectful debates on important national issues, including the Voice to Parliament. The intent of the comments by the misinformed academic is misplaced. Any gaps in the public’s understanding is because the Labor government has hidden, shielded, obstructed, obfuscated and misrepresented every single piece of information about the Voice since the concept was dreamed up by the Labor chosen elites.

Finally, Dr Harris argued that the Voice is the most modest proposal among those that have been considered for First Nations constitutional recognition since 2010 when former Prime Minister Julia Gillard initiated the process. Dr Harris is entitled to be misinformed in his opinions, we believe that the modesty or otherwise of the proposal is a subjective matter open to debate. As a political party, we have concerns about the practical implications, potential risks, and unintended consequences of the Voice, which we believe need to be carefully considered and addressed.

Many Aussie families with children are homeless and will continue to be, while immigration levels remain high according to all media outlets, including ABC News.

The time has come to drastically cut our immigration levels, put a break on inflation, and reduce the rising costs of buying or renting a home.  

Labor promised in their budget papers for 2022 that only 235,000 immigrants would be allowed into the country. This immigration promise was broken, and now we are facing an influx of 400,000 this year.  

Predictions are we will climb to 600,000 immigrants imminently.  

It is now time for a mass movement of people to oppose this mass migration scheme. A movement that opposes the housing crisis and demands a better and just outcome for all Australians.  

The Labor Party has disputed the immigration reality by issuing a ‘fact check’ through their local branch of the ABC.  One Nation affirms that the published government figures in budget papers on proposed migration constitute a ‘promise’. 

Representing the interests of all Australians is a key One Nation focus, and we are deeply concerned about the recent reports from news.com.au of the lack of consultation on the Aborigional voice to parliament proposal. The comments made by Uncle Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu, a senior Tiwi Islands elder, highlight the failure of the current approach to engage Aboriginal communities in this important process.

It is clear, from listening to Aboriginal communities from across Australia, that the Labor government didn’t consult with all Aboriginal communities. Instead, they stacked rooms, over various days, with their supporters and then claimed an extreme minority of Aboriginal people were ‘listened to’.

It is now apparent a huge majority of Australia’s aboriginal community opposes the Voice.

Uncle Francis Xavier’s comments reflect the frustration and disappointment felt by many Indigenous communities who feel left out of the consultation process. He stated that Aboriginal people on the Tiwi Islands were “completely confused” due to the lack of information and consultation, and described the situation as “shocking.” It is unacceptable that a proposal of such importance has not been adequately communicated to the very communities it aims to empower.

One Nation believes that consultation and engagement with Indigenous communities should be at the forefront of any decision-making process that affects them. It is imperative that politicians and policymakers take the time to meet with remote communities, listen to their concerns, and ensure that their voices are heard and respected. The lack of consultation, as highlighted by Uncle Francis Xavier, is a failure on the part of the government and undermines the integrity of the Indigenous voice to parliament proposal.

Furthermore, One Nation is disappointed to note that no federal Labor minister has traveled to the Tiwi Islands since being elected to government. This lack of engagement from the opposition party is concerning and highlights the need for all political parties to prioritize consultation with Indigenous communities.

One Nation stands for the fair and equal treatment of all Australians, including Indigenous peoples.

We are deeply concerned about the lack of consultation on the Indigenous voice to parliament proposal, as highlighted by Uncle Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu’s comments.

The Australian Government has reached an agreement with China that creates a pathway towards resolving the dispute over Australian barley.

Since 2020, China’s 80.5 per cent duties on Australian barley have effectively blocked exports to that market, worth about $916 million in 2018-19.

The Australian Government has been clear in our view that there is no justification for these duties and that it is in both countries’ best interest for all trade impediments to be removed.

Following recent constructive dialogue at all levels, we welcome China’s agreement to undertake an expedited review of the duties over a three-month period, which may extend to a fourth if required.

This dialogue has taken place in parallel to Australia continuing to prosecute our national interests through the World Trade Organization (WTO). Australia has agreed to temporarily suspend the WTO dispute for the agreed review period.

If the duties are not lifted at the end of the review period, Australia will resume the dispute in the WTO. The WTO trade disputes system encourages bilateral resolution where possible.

The Australian Government will continue to pursue our national interests through dialogue and the multilateral trading system. We will use all opportunities, including the WTO dispute mechanism, to get the best outcomes for Australia’s world-class producers and farmers.

This includes creating further opportunities for Australian business to diversify overseas markets.

We remain confident in the outcome for Australian wine at the WTO. If today’s agreement is successful in providing a pathway for lifting duties on barley, we expect a similar process to be followed to remove trade barriers for Australian wine.

The Albanese Government’s approach has been to cooperate with China where we can, disagree where we must and engage in our national interest. This pathway reflects that approach.