Fed: Uni students face higher fees for degrees

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2003
Fed: Uni students face higher fees for degrees

CANBERRA, Dec 5 AAP - Students face higher fees for university degrees after the federal
government finally won support for its contentious $2.4 billion university reform package.

After a marathon sitting of the Senate, and the consideration of hundreds of amendments,
four independent senators got behind the government's proposals.

But the package has been substantially changed after rounds of horse-trading.

Education Minister Brendan Nelson, having made three rounds of concessions, caved-in
to the final demand of the independents which removed the link between $404 million in
funding and industrial relations reforms.

Under the deal, universities will be able to hike fees by up to 25 per cent above HECS rates.

Up to 35 per cent of student places will go to full-fee paying students, indexation
will be reviewed, and in a win for students the HECS threshold will be raised to $36,184
in line with graduate starting salaries.

The deal now goes back to a special sitting of the House of Representatives later today
where it will be ticked off.

One of the independents to back the package, former Australian Democrats leader Meg
Lees, said the deal was a win for the university sector.

She said the package had been substantially improved, and at the same time it guaranteed
a massive funding boost to universities.

"What I agreed to do was help turn the funding tap on for Australia's 38 public universities,"

she said.

AAP sw/cjh/

KEYWORD: UNIVERSITIES DAYLEAD

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