I accidentally stumbled across this article whilst searching for something else... interesting read in light of the recent HECS reforms.
<hr>
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/s59488.htm
Kemp grilled over education proposal
PM - Thursday, October 14, 1999 6:10
COMPERE: But first, the Prime Minister has stepped in to quell fears raised by his Education Minister David Kemp's radical plan for higher education. Yesterday a secret Cabinet submission was leaked, recommending the de-regulation of university fees, the abolition of HECS and real interest rates for student loans.
Labor says students could be forced to pay up to $100,000 for a degree, but Mr Howard says the government has no intention of moving towards what he describes as an American university system, and the government will honour its election promises.
Alexandra Kirk reports from Canberra.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: The problem for the Prime Minister is Dr Kemp's blueprint breaches promises both men made before and during the last election. So John Howard was forced today to recommit his government to those pledges.
But before distancing the government from the Education Minister's now very public Cabinet submission, he had a few nice words for his colleague.
JOHN HOWARD: The longer answer, of course, starts with an acknowledgment by me, and I know an acknowledgment that is shared right across the education sector, that the Minister has done an outstanding job in the Department ...
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Having dispensed with the niceties it was then down to the serious business of hacking Dr Kemp's radical plan to pieces.
JOHN HOWARD: In 1998 when the West Report into higher education was presented to the government, a number of undertakings were given and those undertakings included a commitment that the government had no intention of introducing vouchers for post-secondary education. That undertaking stands undiminished and I repeat it today.
We have no intention of de-regulating university fees, nor have we any intention of introducing HECS for TAFE courses. Those undertakings were repeated by the Minister at the time of the election and they remain undiminished today.
The government will not be introducing an American style higher education system. There will be no to fork out $100,000 university fees under this government, Mr Speaker. That is a figment of the Labor Party's propaganda machine.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: But does that mean no for just this term of the Howard Government or never ever, to use the Prime Minister's own words, when he ruled out a GST.
JOHN HOWARD: We have no intention, while ever I am Prime Minister, Mr Speaker, while ever I am Prime Minister of this country we will not be dishonouring the commitments to which I referred to this morning.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: But Labor says despite Mr Howard's hosing down, Dr Kemp's draconian proposals are still very much alive because the Prime Minister hasn't ruled out increasing HECS charges or applying a real rate of interest to HECS. And, says Labor, in June Mr Howard and the rest of the Cabinet gave the Minister broad approval for his plans, asking him to further develop them. The very things that have been ruled out.
Apart from the political impossibility of getting the proposal through the Senate, Dr Kemp's not winning any support from his colleagues who fear a policy like this would cost them dearly at the next election.
And a friendly reminder from Democrat's Deputy Leader, Natasha Stott Despoja, to coalition members who didn't have to pay the full cost of a tertiary education with a student loan scheme charged at real interest rates, as Dr Kemp's proposing.
NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA: I assume from the Minister's answer that he believes it is appropriate to impose a debt of $120,000 on 17 and 18 year olds starting out on their education. Does the Minister realise that this amount of money is more than the average cost of a suburban home in 1966, the year the Minister for Education obtained his Law Degree from the University of Melbourne which would have cost him approximately $5,044 in today's terms, except I believe he got a scholarship and got it for free.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Shadow Education Minister, Michael Lee, says it's meaningless for Dr Kemp to promise the government won't introduce a system of vouchers for students to buy their university courses. The word "voucher" may not appear in the Minister's proposal but Mr Lee says the words "universal tuition subsidy" are code for vouchers.
MICHAEL LEE: If there's a bird out there in the courtyard, if there's a bird out there by Lake Burley Griffin and it swims like a duck and it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, there's a high probability that it is a duck.
This universal tuition subsidy walks like a voucher from public providers, it acts like a voucher - it is a voucher.
COMPERE: The Shadow Education Minister, Michael Lee, ending Alexandra Kirk's report.
<hr>
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/s59488.htm
Kemp grilled over education proposal
PM - Thursday, October 14, 1999 6:10
COMPERE: But first, the Prime Minister has stepped in to quell fears raised by his Education Minister David Kemp's radical plan for higher education. Yesterday a secret Cabinet submission was leaked, recommending the de-regulation of university fees, the abolition of HECS and real interest rates for student loans.
Labor says students could be forced to pay up to $100,000 for a degree, but Mr Howard says the government has no intention of moving towards what he describes as an American university system, and the government will honour its election promises.
Alexandra Kirk reports from Canberra.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: The problem for the Prime Minister is Dr Kemp's blueprint breaches promises both men made before and during the last election. So John Howard was forced today to recommit his government to those pledges.
But before distancing the government from the Education Minister's now very public Cabinet submission, he had a few nice words for his colleague.
JOHN HOWARD: The longer answer, of course, starts with an acknowledgment by me, and I know an acknowledgment that is shared right across the education sector, that the Minister has done an outstanding job in the Department ...
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Having dispensed with the niceties it was then down to the serious business of hacking Dr Kemp's radical plan to pieces.
JOHN HOWARD: In 1998 when the West Report into higher education was presented to the government, a number of undertakings were given and those undertakings included a commitment that the government had no intention of introducing vouchers for post-secondary education. That undertaking stands undiminished and I repeat it today.
We have no intention of de-regulating university fees, nor have we any intention of introducing HECS for TAFE courses. Those undertakings were repeated by the Minister at the time of the election and they remain undiminished today.
The government will not be introducing an American style higher education system. There will be no to fork out $100,000 university fees under this government, Mr Speaker. That is a figment of the Labor Party's propaganda machine.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: But does that mean no for just this term of the Howard Government or never ever, to use the Prime Minister's own words, when he ruled out a GST.
JOHN HOWARD: We have no intention, while ever I am Prime Minister, Mr Speaker, while ever I am Prime Minister of this country we will not be dishonouring the commitments to which I referred to this morning.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: But Labor says despite Mr Howard's hosing down, Dr Kemp's draconian proposals are still very much alive because the Prime Minister hasn't ruled out increasing HECS charges or applying a real rate of interest to HECS. And, says Labor, in June Mr Howard and the rest of the Cabinet gave the Minister broad approval for his plans, asking him to further develop them. The very things that have been ruled out.
Apart from the political impossibility of getting the proposal through the Senate, Dr Kemp's not winning any support from his colleagues who fear a policy like this would cost them dearly at the next election.
And a friendly reminder from Democrat's Deputy Leader, Natasha Stott Despoja, to coalition members who didn't have to pay the full cost of a tertiary education with a student loan scheme charged at real interest rates, as Dr Kemp's proposing.
NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA: I assume from the Minister's answer that he believes it is appropriate to impose a debt of $120,000 on 17 and 18 year olds starting out on their education. Does the Minister realise that this amount of money is more than the average cost of a suburban home in 1966, the year the Minister for Education obtained his Law Degree from the University of Melbourne which would have cost him approximately $5,044 in today's terms, except I believe he got a scholarship and got it for free.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Shadow Education Minister, Michael Lee, says it's meaningless for Dr Kemp to promise the government won't introduce a system of vouchers for students to buy their university courses. The word "voucher" may not appear in the Minister's proposal but Mr Lee says the words "universal tuition subsidy" are code for vouchers.
MICHAEL LEE: If there's a bird out there in the courtyard, if there's a bird out there by Lake Burley Griffin and it swims like a duck and it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, there's a high probability that it is a duck.
This universal tuition subsidy walks like a voucher from public providers, it acts like a voucher - it is a voucher.
COMPERE: The Shadow Education Minister, Michael Lee, ending Alexandra Kirk's report.
