Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026

Senator FARUQI (New South Wales—Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens) (10:20): by leave—I move Greens amendments (1) and (2) on sheet 4116 together: (1) Schedule 1, item 59, page 43 (line 8), after "that class", insert ", which must not be less than 1". (2) Schedule 1, item 59, page 45 (line 24), after "Grants Guidelines", insert ", which must not be less than 0.5".

Yet another problematic aspect of the bill is that it allows an education minister to quash all needs based funding with a flick of their pen. The section these amendments address is the power for the minister to set the equity support amount provided to a university, which they could set at $0. You cannot say that you are providing needs based funding but leave it open to make this funding $0.

The Greens will not let any government, whether it's this one or any future one, set needs based funding to $0. The amendments ensure that the equity modifier amount in the bill is at least one and the regional modifier amount can be set to no lower than 0.5. Again, the government is in agreement with these amendments, and I thank them for coming to the same position as the Greens.