100 signatures reached
To: Australian Federal Government
Birmingham: Stop The Attacks On Our Universities
Tell Malcolm Turnbull and Simon Birmingham to keep their hands out of our education funding.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham has just overseen a proposed cut of $2.1bn to tertiary education institutions through a two-year freeze on funding in the recent mid-year budget review, despite expectations of a funding increase. These cuts are a blatant affront to the quality of education at our universities, and to every individual student around the nation.
It is imperative that we stand together to resist these reforms and send a strong message that these types of attacks on our education will simply not be accepted.
Why is this important?
Unlike the government's previous attempts to modify education costs, this funding freeze does not require formal legislation and therefore cannot be blocked by the Senate. Resisting these changes will require increased collective effort and orchestrated action to influence change.
On top of funding cuts, the lowering of the HECS repayment threshold will see students forced to start paying back their loans at an income of $45,000 per year instead of $52,000. This threshold sits just above the minimum wage and presents as a huge blow to all graduates, particularly for lower income earners. This reform forces students to privilege their financial status above their education - an outcome that is plainly unacceptable and one which should not exist in Australia.
This petition calls upon the Education Minister Simon Birmingham to stop these attacks on our education – no funding freezes and no cuts to the HECS.