Unfunded university revenue loss
The bill was said to reduce university revenue by about $1.3 billion a year without providing replacement funding, potentially harming courses, staffing, research and smaller or regional institutions.
Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hikes and End 50k Arts Degrees)
Current status
This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Policy area
Education & skills
What does this bill do?
Arts students would have paid about $24,500 for a degree, down from $56,000.
Why was it introduced?
Mehreen Faruqi (Australian Greens), who introduced the bill, said the Job-Ready Graduates schemeA university pricing system that charged different amounts for different fields. — university prices designed to steer students towards selected fields — had left hundreds of thousands of students with higher debts. She said an arts degree had risen above $50,000 and that her bill would reduce it to about $24,500. She argued that students should be free to choose what they study without being discouraged by higher prices.
Broader context
The 2020 Job-Ready Graduates schemeA university pricing system that charged different amounts for different fields. introduced higher student contributionThe part of a university place paid by the student. caps for fields including humanities, communications, law, business and accounting, leaving arts degrees projected to cost about $55,000. As calls for reform grew, Senator Mehreen Faruqi introduced this private Greens bill to restore affected caps to their pre-2020 levels, indexed to 1 January 2026, for units with later census dates; the Senate rejected it at second reading on 1 July 2026, so the fee hikes remained in place.
Key criticism
Matt O’Sullivan (Liberal) argued the bill would cut university income by about $1.3 billion each year without replacing that money. He cited an estimate that up to 8,400 full-time jobs could be at risk. He also said the bill kept lower prices for some fields while reversing increases for others, creating a fee structure that had not existed before. Jess Walsh (Labor) said reduced funding could affect courses, staffing, research and smaller or regional universities.
Who supported it?
Senator Mehreen Faruqi introduced this bill. It was supported by Greens, some crossbench members; opposed by Labor, Liberal, One Nation; and did not pass.
Introduced in Senate 25 Nov 2025
Defeated at second reading in Senate 01 July 2026
Did not reach House —
Did not become law —
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
Did not pass
1 recorded vote before the bill stopped proceeding
Time before failure
218 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
What does this bill do?
-
Arts students would have paid about $24,500 for a degree, down from $56,000. The Senate defeated the bill, so this change did not proceed.
-
Communications, society and culture students would have faced a maximum charge of $8,164 for each full-time year’s study.
-
Law, accounting, administration, economics and commerce students would have faced a maximum charge of $13,624 for each full-time year’s study.
-
Current and future students would have received the new prices for subjects with a census dateThe date that determines a student’s charge for a subject. after the bill started.
-
Affected students would have received the lower prices from 1 January 2026 or the day after royal assentThe formal approval required before a passed bill becomes law., whichever came later.
Show source excerpts
-
I rise to speak to the Greens Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hikes and End 50k Arts Degrees) Bill 2025. This bill does something very meaningful and long overdue: it scraps the JRG fee hikes. In 2020, the Morrison government took a wrecking ball to universities, draining funding and implementing cruel, unfair and completely unjustified hikes. And yes, these fee hikes were brought to students by the coalition government almost six years ago, but they have been kept in place by the Albanese Labor government for the past four years. In that time, the cost of
Second reading speech -
Maximum student contribution amounts for a place For a place in a unit of study included in this funding cluster: The amount in respect of a non‑grandfathered student is: The amount in respect of a grandfathered student is: Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics, Commerce, Communications, Society and Culture (a) for a place in a unit in Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics or Commerce—$13,624; or (b) for a place in a unit in Communications or Society and Culture—$8,164. (a) for a place in a unit in Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics or Commerce—$13,624; or (b) for a p
Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hikes and End 50k Arts Degrees) introduced text -
Maximum student contribution amounts for a place For a place in a unit of study included in this funding cluster: The amount in respect of a non‑grandfathered student is: The amount in respect of a grandfathered student is: Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics, Commerce, Communications, Society and Culture (a) for a place in a unit in Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics or Commerce—$13,624; or (b) for a place in a unit in Communications or Society and Culture—$8,164. (a) for a place in a unit in Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics or Commerce—$13,624; or (b) for a p
Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hikes and End 50k Arts Degrees) introduced text -
2 Application The amendments made by Part 1 of this Schedule apply in relation to a unit of study that has a *census date that is on or after the commencement of that Part (whether the unit of study is part of a course of study commenced before, on or after the commencement of that Part).
Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hikes and End 50k Arts Degrees) introduced text -
2 Commencement (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms. Commencement information Commencement Date/Details 1. The whole of this Act The later of: (a) 1 January 2026; or (b) the day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hikes and End 50k Arts Degrees) introduced text
Context
Broader context for this bill
The 2020 Job-Ready Graduates schemeA university pricing system that charged different amounts for different fields. introduced higher student contributionThe part of a university place paid by the student. caps for fields including humanities, communications, law, business and accounting, leaving arts degrees projected to cost about $55,000. As calls for reform grew, Senator Mehreen Faruqi introduced this private Greens bill to restore affected caps to their pre-2020 levels, indexed to 1 January 2026, for units with later census dates; the Senate rejected it at second reading on 1 July 2026, so the fee hikes remained in place.
- 2020
Job-Ready Graduates fee hikes begin
The Job-Ready Graduates reforms increased student contributionThe part of a university place paid by the student. caps for fields including arts, communications, law, commerce and accounting.
Higher Education Support Amendment explanatory memorandum ↗ - July 2025
More than 100 Australians call for Job-Ready Graduates to be abolished
Authors, academics, historians and other public figures signed an open letter urging the Labor government to end the scheme.
Second reading speech ↗ - 12 Nov 2025
Arts degrees projected to reach $55,000
ABC News reported that arts degrees would cost about $55,000 from the following year as universities warned that fee settings were contributing to further job cuts.
ABC News ↗ - 25 Nov 2025
Senator Mehreen Faruqi introduces the bill
Senator Mehreen Faruqi introduced the private Greens bill to repeal the Job-Ready Graduates fee hikes and restore affected contribution caps.
Hansard ↗ - 01 July 2026
Senate rejects the bill at second reading
The bill’s second reading was negatived, ending its parliamentary progress and leaving the existing fee hikes unchanged.
Parliamentary timeline ↗
Legislative route
How did it move through Parliament?
House Senate
Introduced 25 Nov 2025
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Second reading opened 25 Nov 2025
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Education and Employment review 05 Feb 2026
Referred to Committee (05/02/2026): Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee; Committee report (25/06/2026)
Report tabled 25 Jun 2026
APH bill page notesSecond reading debate 01 July 2026
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Second reading debate 01 July 2026
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Second reading negatived
Key criticism
The main case against this bill
Matt O’Sullivan (Liberal) argued the bill would cut university income by about $1.3 billion each year without replacing that money. He cited an estimate that up to 8,400 full-time jobs could be at risk. He also said the bill kept lower prices for some fields while reversing increases for others, creating a fee structure that had not existed before. Jess Walsh (Labor) said reduced funding could affect courses, staffing, research and smaller or regional universities.
Supporters disputed the case for keeping the existing prices. David Pocock (Independent) said the scheme needed urgent reform and cited a 19.7 per cent fall in new low-income students entering the highest-priced courses. Faruqi said 73 of the 74 inquiry submissions supported the bill or its aim of urgently reversing the fee increases.
Piecemeal fee reform
Opponents argued that selectively lowering contributions for particular subjects would leave an inconsistent and financially unsustainable fee structure instead of delivering comprehensive higher-education reform.
Further sources
Votes
Recorded votes
How the bill itself passed
These were the main recorded votes on the bill.
Defeated Senate cleared second reading
Defeated 11 to 30. Support came from Greens and minor parties and independents. Opposition came from Labor, Liberal, and One Nation.
Defeated
Senate cleared second reading
Party Aye / No
Labor 0 / 20
Greens 10 / 0
Liberal 0 / 6
One Nation 0 / 4
Independent 1 / 0
These are votes on the bill itself rather than amendment votes.
Parliamentary debate
Who spoke, and what they said
Start here — lead voices
Sponsor speech Supports
Mehreen Faruqi
Faruqi urges the Senate to pass the bill because it would reverse the Job-Ready Graduates fee hikes, halve the cost of an arts degree and reduce unfair student debt.
Read in Hansard ↗ Lead opposing voice Opposes
Matt O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan says the coalition will oppose the bill because its selective fee reductions would leave universities with an unfunded annual revenue loss of about $1.3 billion and create an unsustainable, inconsistent fee structure.
Read in Hansard ↗ Lead supporting voice Supports
David Pocock
David Pocock supports the bill as an urgent step to reform the failed Job-ready Graduates schemeA university pricing system that charged different amounts for different fields., despite disagreeing with some provisions.
Read in Hansard ↗ Lead voice Opposes
Jess Walsh
Walsh opposes the bill, arguing that its proposed reversal of the Job-ready Graduates schemeA university pricing system that charged different amounts for different fields. could cut university funding and harm courses, staffing, research and smaller or regional providers.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
Labor
1 speaker · 1 oppose
Labor
1 speaker · 1 oppose
-
Jess Walsh ★ Walsh opposes the bill, arguing that its proposed reversal of the Job-ready Graduates schemeA university pricing system that charged different amounts for different fields. could cut university funding and harm courses, staffing, research and smaller or regional providers.
“The bill in front of us today purports to reverse Job-ready Graduates and end 50K arts degrees. As the Senate committee heard, the evidence suggests that this bill would reduce university funding and could adversely affect course offerings, staffing, research capacity and the sustainability of regional and smaller providers. Fixing the former coalition government's Job-Ready Graduates scheme was a recommendation of the Australian Universities Accord, alongside a number of other recommendations to reduce student contributions and reform HECS repayment arrangements. As I've already outlined, we've implemented many of those recommendations, including fixing indexation, making the repayment system fairer and reviewing bank lending practices for those with student loans.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Coalition
1 speaker · 1 oppose
Coalition
1 speaker · 1 oppose
-
Matt O'Sullivan ★ O'Sullivan says the coalition will oppose the bill because its selective fee reductions would leave universities with an unfunded annual revenue loss of about $1.3 billion and create an unsustainable, inconsistent fee structure.
“For all these reasons that I've laid out here in my contribution to this discussion here today, the coalition will oppose this bill. We don't think it should pass. While it's worthy of discussion here—and thank you again, Senator Faruqi, for bringing this before us—it's simply not something that we can support. It's unsustainable. It doesn't meet the test. It simply cannot be supported, because it just wouldn't work, frankly.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Greens
1 speaker · 2 contributions · 1 support
Greens
1 speaker · 2 contributions · 1 support
-
Mehreen Faruqi ★ 2 contributions Faruqi urges the Senate to pass the bill, saying it would reverse punitive fee hikes, halve the cost of arts degrees and help restore higher education as a public good.
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Mehreen Faruqi on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Second reading speech
Faruqi urges the Senate to pass the bill because it would reverse the Job-Ready Graduates fee hikes, halve the cost of an arts degree and reduce unfair student debt. She criticises Labor for leaving the punitive system in place despite acknowledging that it needs urgent reform.
“Notably, this Bill halves the cost of an arts degree. That is how severe the damage of job-ready graduates has been. Had it not been for this cruel and disastrous plan, students starting today would be paying half of the fees they face today. And they can, if the Parliament supports this Bill.”
Read this contribution in Hansard ↗Second reading speech
Faruqi urges the Senate to pass the bill, saying it would reverse punitive fee hikes, halve the cost of arts degrees and help restore higher education as a public good. She criticises Labor for retaining the widely condemned Job-ready Graduates policy and argues that scrapping it is a matter of political priorities, not affordability.
“The time to close the JRG chapter is now, not in 18 months, not in two years. The only thing stopping the Albanese government from doing so is themselves, and that shows a real lack of care for students. We should be making uni free, just like it was for the Prime Minister. We should be getting on with abolishing student debt and supporting students living below the poverty line. Instead, we've got Labor dragging their heels on the easiest of reforms. Well, today you have the power to make $56,000 arts degrees history. I'm proud to commend this Greens bill to the Senate.”
Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Minor parties and independents
1 speaker · 1 support
Minor parties and independents
1 speaker · 1 support
-
David Pocock ★ David Pocock supports the bill as an urgent step to reform the failed Job-ready Graduates schemeA university pricing system that charged different amounts for different fields., despite disagreeing with some provisions.
“This business of trying to incentivise students into certain degrees based on the cost clearly doesn't work. Young people are not making their life decisions based on what they think their HECS debt is—unless you're from a low-SES background; then you certainly are because $50,000 worth of debt is not something that you want. Young people are making and should be able to make their decision based on what they love, what interests them and how they want to contribute to our society. There's wide recognition amongst the major parties, from what I've heard in their contributions, that it's a failed scheme. Let's get on with changing this scheme and let's get on with making it fairer for young Australians who are studying.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Full record
- Status
- Not Proceeding -- Collected from the APH bill page.
- Originating house
- Senate
- 25 Nov 2025
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
- 25 Nov 2025
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
- 01 July 2026
Senate · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
- 01 July 2026
Senate · Second reading negatived
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee
Report tabled 25 Jun 2026
Referred to Committee (5 Feb 2026): Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee; Committee report (25 June 2026)
APH bill page notes