17th Aug 2009, 9:52 PM – Senate Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities, and Other Measures) Bill 2009 - In Committee - Compliance and monitoring

The majority voted against an amendment introduced by Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, which means that it was unsuccessful. The Senator explained that the amendment "relates directly to the issues of compliance and monitoring".(Read Senator Hanson-Young's full explanation here. )

The amendment was:

(3) Schedule 1, item 5, page 5 (after line 28), at the end of section 19-38, add:

Accountability of expenditure

(6) Each higher education provider must include in each report it prepares for the purposes of section 19-10 the following information in relation to the period covered by the report:

(a) details of amounts collected as student services and amenities fees during that period;

(b) details of the expenditure of such amounts paid to the provider.

(7) Each higher education provider must provide a copy of that information to the department in the form approved by the Minister.

(8) The department must publish on its website the information it receives under subsection (7).

Background to the bill

Compulsory student union fees were abolished under then Prime Minister John Howard’s Coalition Government with the Higher Education Support Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Upfront Student Union Fees) Bill 2005. This meant that universities could no longer require students to pay a compulsory fee for facilities, amenities or services that were not of an academic nature.

This bill aims to re-introduce a compulsory student services and amenities fee.(More information about this bill and its context can be found here.)

References