Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to reports that RMIT will pay back up to $10 million to casual staff for work dating back to 2014.

Senator Faruqi said:

“Casual university staff are absolutely sick and tired of being underpaid, undervalued and taken for granted.

I am concerned about the recent attempts by the minister for education to incite a culture war over the draft national curriculum created by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, or ACARA, as they're known. I find his comments on the draft curriculum offensive, pathetic and ahistorical. They should be challenged by everyone who cares about the integrity of our education system.

I rise to speak on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2021 and I associate myself with the comments made by my colleague Senator Thorpe. The bill gives considerable—and too much—power to the minister, under the guise of protecting critical infrastructure. It creates the potential for government security agencies to intervene and take over businesses and operations. This bill is not supported by key stakeholders, including the logistics, technology and higher education sectors.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has today launched a new discussion paper, The University of the Future: Higher Education Built on Democracy and Equity. The policy ideas and research in the paper will provide a starting point for richer, more radical conversations about the future of universities.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that arrangements for the return of international students to Australia must treat students with respect and not subject them to burdensome quarantine arrangements that will not apply to others.

Senator Faruqi said:

“The current patchwork of state and territory plans, with Commonwealth oversight, are confusing and alarming for students, and do not provide any real certainty about arrangements for students’ return.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to the Education Minister’s latest attempt to whitewash Australian history and pressure the independent curriculum authority to sanitise what’s taught in our schools.

Senator Faruqi said:

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has welcomed the publication of the Senate Select Committee on Job Security’s second interim report, and called for its recommendations to be implemented.

Senator Faruqi, who is a Committee Member, said:

Greens Leader Adam Bandt, Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Greens Health spokesperson Jordon Steele-John have joined teachers and parents calling for a national COVID Safe Schools action plan as students return to schools in NSW, Victoria and the ACT and public health restrictions are eased across the country.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that a new report by the Centre for Future Work estimating 40,000 job losses is a devastating exposure of the extent of the insecure work crisis in higher education.

Senator Faruqi said:

“Tens of thousands of job losses amount to nothing less than complete decimation of large parts of our tertiary education sector.

I speak to take note of document No. 5 in the Senate Order of Business, the Australian Research Council grant recommendations July 2021. Firstly, I must congratulate those researchers who were successful in the current round of DECRA, as listed in the document. It is not an easy time to be an early-career researcher in this country, and I hope that you're able to conduct your rigorous academic work, which will be of enormous benefit to the community for years to come. But let's be honest about the process for this funding round and the recent Future Fellowships round.