5736

2008-2009

 

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

 

THE SENATE

 

 

 

 

 

Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities, and Other Measures) Bill 2009

 

 

(Amendments to be moved by Senator Hanson-Young on behalf of the Australian Greens in committee of the whole)

 

(1)     Schedule 1, item 6, page 6 (lines 14 to 16), omit subsection 19-67(3).

[funding of student organisations]

Amendment (2) will be moved if amendment (1) is unsuccessful

(2)     Schedule 1, item 5, page 5 (after line 16), after subsection (3), insert:

          (3A)  A higher education provider must consult its *student representative body and must not spend an amount paid to the provider as a *student services and amenities fee other than in accordance with a decision of that body.

          (3B)  For the purposes of this section, student representative body means the body of students elected by students to represent their interests to the higher education provider.

[student representative body to direct funding]

(3)     Schedule 1, item 5, page 5 (after line 28), at the end of section 19-38, add:

Accountability of expenditure

             (6)  Each higher education provider must include in each report it prepares for the purposes of section 19-10 the following information in relation to the period covered by the report:

                     (a)  details of amounts collected as student services and amenities fees during that period;

                     (b)  details of the expenditure of such amounts paid to the provider.

             (7)  Each higher education provider must provide a copy of that information to the department in the form approved by the Minister.

             (8)  The department must publish on its website the information it receives under subsection (7).

[accountability of expenditure]

(4)     Schedule 1, item 5, page 5 (after line 28), at the end of section 19-38, add:

Report on consultations

             (9)  Each higher education provider must, as soon as practicable after 31 December each year, prepare and publish a report detailing the consultation which occurred during that year between the provider, its students and its student organisations in relation to the level of the fee, collection of the fee and expenditure of amounts paid.

           (10)  Each higher education provider must provide to the department a copy of each report prepared under subsection (9).

           (11)  The department must publish on its website a copy of each report received under subsection (10) in a form which allows ready comparison between the reports of different higher education providers.

[report on consultations]