Federal Election a chance to campaign for postgrads, says CAPA President

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations today welcomed the announcement by the Prime Minister that the Federal Election will take place on September 14th.

CAPA President Meghan Hopper said that the unusually early notice provided for the election meant that there would be plenty of time to debate the issues of importance to postgraduate students and Higher Education professionals.

“We’ve got 225 days and counting to make Higher Education a priority in this election campaign,” Ms Hopper said.

“Deregulation, freedom of research expression, course cuts and the Student Services and Amenities Fee are policy areas that our student representatives have identified as priorities going into this campaign.”

Ms Hopper said that CAPA was looking forward to spearheading its own non-partisan, issue-based campaign around Higher Education, particularly as it relates to postgraduate coursework and Higher Degree by Research students.

“As has been the case in every Federal Election since our foundation in 1979, CAPA will be initiating a non-partisan, policy-based campaign that speaks to the issues that matter to postgraduate students,” Ms Hopper said.

“We’ll be calling upon each of the parties to outline their commitments to Higher Education, and specifically how they will improve outcomes for postgraduates.”

“Like all student representatives, we’re concerned about the future of the Student Services and Amenities Fee under a Coalition Government, and so over the coming 225 days we’ll be continuing to talk about the importance of student funding going to student services and representation,” said Ms Hopper.

“But we also acknowledge that the Student Services and Amenities Fee is not a perfect piece of legislation, so we’re looking forward to a discussion that leads to the legislation becoming stronger, with better consultation and better outcomes for students.”

Contact:
Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations President,
Meghan B. Hopper
0421 807 303 / president@capa.edu.au