2026-07-01
Labor, the Liberals, and One Nation have this morning voted against a Greens Bill that would have reversed the fee hikes of the disastrous job-ready graduates (JRG) package. Students, academics, unions, VCs, universities and even Labor backbenchers have been calling for the JRG to be urgently scrapped, as students are being overwhelmed by debt.
The Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hikes & End 50k Arts Degrees) Bill would have reversed the punitive fee hikes introduced by the Morrison government’s JRG package by undoing the fee hikes for units of study in law, accounting, administration, economics, commerce, society and culture, and communications, and reverting them to what those amounts would have been on 1 January 2026, if the job-ready graduates bill had not commenced.
The effect of this Bill would have been to halve the cost of an arts degree.
Lines attributable to Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy leader of the Australian Greens and spokesperson for Higher Education:
“The Albanese Labor government talks a big game on equity in education, but today they have voted against lowering uni fees and easing the burden on students facing spiralling student debt amidst a cost of living and housing crisis.
“While the major parties and One Nation teamed up to oppose cheaper degrees, arts students continue to watch in horror as the cost of their degree soars past $50,000.
“You can’t say you care about students and young people and then vote down a Bill to make higher education more accessible and affordable.
“The JRG fee hikes were brought in by Mossison’s Coalition, but now it squarely belongs to Albanese’s Labor.
“The Prime Minister got to enjoy free higher education, but he isn’t willing to see students today reap the same benefits.
“When the government makes more from student debt than the PRRT and refuses to impose a $17 billion a year revenue-raising gas export tax, you know that keeping students in poverty and overwhelmed with debt, and keeping universities underfunded isn’t a policy issue, it’s a political choice."