Our Education, Our Future campaign

Urge our cross bench senators to vote against the bill!

The Senate will soon consider the Higher Education Support Legislation Amendment (A More Sustainable, Responsive and Transparent Higher Education System) Bill 2017. The proposed new funding cuts will seriously impair Southern Cross University’s ability to deliver quality higher education and support to already disadvantaged students in an already harsh funding environment.

The Bill will:

• rip a massive $2.8 billion from universities across Australia;
• require all universities to lift student fees;
• reduce retrospectively the HECS repayment salary threshold from $53,000 to just $42,000 for all students and former students; and
• introduce fees for tertiary preparation courses to disadvantaged potential students.

As a predominantly regional university, SCU has many students from backgrounds of low socio-economic standing and other entrenched disadvantage. Many of our students are single parents, or the children of single parents. Many of our students are the first person in their entire family ever to enter university. Many of our students never completed high school, let alone achieved a high Tertiary Education Ranking. Many of our students are Indigenous Australians.

The proposed changes will significantly impact students, teaching, services and staffing levels at our university, one of the largest employers in the north coast region of NSW. The cuts will discourage study in the most critical employment roles in regional Australia, including nursing, teaching, social work, health, science and engineering. The introduction of fees to enabling courses will place a tertiary education pathway out of reach for many mature age students, Aboriginal students and people from lower socioeconomic status groups, limiting access to these critical employment roles for local people in our regional communities.

You can make a difference by writing to cross bench senators and urge them to vote against the Bill, to protect our education and our future.

Make a difference today, by;

1. Sending an automated email to senators. Simply click here to fill out your name and email address and click send. This will send an automated email using the template letter. You can also customize the letter template if you choose. This will email the letter to Senators Stirling Griff, Skye Moore, Derryn Hinch, Nick Xenophon and Jacquie Lambie.

OR

2. Download the attached letter to senators.  You have the choice to complete the sections highlighted in yellow and print, or to handwrite the letter.  Hand written letters to senators make a difference!  Then send the letter to one or more of the cross bench senators listed below:

Cross bench senators