Ogilvy Bernie: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ogilvy Bernie: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:621;Page:16888] 
8.  
BERNIE OGILVY (United Future) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education) 
: Can he confirm that the Government intends to introduce a voluntary long-term savings scheme for tertiary education; if so why? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education)) 
: 
 What I can do is quote the Prime Minister’s comments about saving for tertiary education made at the Labour Party conference on Saturday where she said: “… we will look at ways of supporting families to plan ahead for the inevitable costs not to replace what the government funds but to be better prepared to meet the costs which fall on students and families now.” 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: Can the Minister therefore confirm that he received support from United Future for establishing such a scheme as part of last year’s Budget round; and that the Ministry of Education’s analysis of submissions in response to last year’s student support discussion document found that over one-half of submitters supported it—by far the single most popular proposal to emerge from the consultation? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I can confirm that United Future often provides support for very good ideas that are put about and in this case it has supported this idea. And yes I can confirm that the student discussion document responses did indicate that a large number of people supported such an idea.  
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: What initiatives has the Government previously undertaken to reduce the costs of tertiary education that fall on students and families and what have been the results of those changes? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Too many to list. I will just mention a few of the most significant: no interest while studying; fee stabilisation and fee maxima; increased allowance thresholds; and annual indexing of those thresholds. I could go on but it would take far too long. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Is not this individualised savings scheme just another step towards the privatisation of education; and whatever happened to the expectation that society provides low-cost tertiary education in return for an obligation on graduates to give back to the community? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: In answer to the first part of the question no; in answer to the second part this Government stands for low-cost tertiary education and for students being able to contribute to their society. 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: Can the Minister confirm that any proposals to introduce a long-term savings scheme for tertiary study would be voluntary and would not legitimise wholesale increases in course fees; and is he confident that the rest of his party would be comfortable with it on that basis? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: There is a very long way to go with such a policy at this time but yes I would expect that any such policy would need to be voluntary in nature. 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: Has the Minister given any consideration to allowing the savings scheme to continue to be used beyond tertiary study to perpetuate the savings ethic and to allow the account holders to save for houses or for their retirement; if not why not? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: No.