3rd Dec 2020, 10:10 AM – Senate Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020 and another - in Committee - Universities

The majority voted against an amendment introduced by NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi (Greens), which means it failed.

What does this amendment do?

Senator Faruqi explained that:

I was hoping that I wouldn't have to move this amendment, because really universities should be excluded, but now that's not the case. This amendment really is about at least making sure that the larger projects or agreements are the ones that allow the government's broad scope to be looked at by the government. This amendment has a threshold amount of $250,000 for the government to be able to do what they want to do. Like I said: sadly, in the absence of universities being excluded from this legislation, at least this will minimise some of the damage and the harm done to universities and the people who work there.

Amendment text

(1) Clause 9, page 11 (after line 10), after subclause (1), insert:

(1A) However, if a party to the arrangement is a university within the meaning of subsection 7(e), an arrangement has a value equal to, or more than, the threshold amount per financial year.

(1B) The threshold amount for the financial year starting on 1 July 2020 is $250,000. The amount is to be indexed in accordance with Part 5-6 (Indexation) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003.