Australian Greens Senator and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has said that today's changes to study and training loan repayment thresholds will negatively affect low income workers.

From July 1, 2019, the new minimum HELP repayment threshold will be $45,881, down from $51,957 in 2018-19.

Senator Faruqi said:

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Education, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has called the approval of a Ramsay Centre linked degree on Western Civilisation by the University of Wollongong 'outrageous' and a slap in the face for students and academics. Senator Faruqi is a former academic.

Senator Faruqi said:

"This is an outrageous move by the university and a real slap in the face for students and academics who have real and legitimate concerns about the Ramsay Centre.

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Australian Greens Education Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has responded to the Labor Party’s launch of its childcare and early education policy .

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson and Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has launched the Greens' ambitious plan to make childcare fee-free for most families, abolish the activity test and guarantee all three and four year olds access to 24 hours of early childhood education a week. The Greens will also provide an extra $200m in capital grants to community and government run centres in areas of highest need as well as supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander run centres.

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson and Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has today launched a National Plan to ensure access to English Language Support, including through launching an urgent review to reverse the outsourcing of services provided by the Adult Migrant English Program.

The Greens’ plan will:

1.      Stop the undermining of the the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and begin an urgent review to reverse the outsourcing of services.

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Education, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has given the Federal Budget an F on school funding and has accused the Morrison Government of turning its back on public school students and teachers.

Senator Faruqi said:

“This budget is an ‘F’ on school funding and shows that the Morrison Government has well and truly turned its back on students and teachers.  

The Greens always have and always will stand for publicly owned and operated and publicly funded vocational training colleges and TAFEs. The two major parties have used vocational training and TAFE as a political football for way too long. We have had enough. Through their bipartisan commitment to so-called contestability funding, public TAFE has been gutted. The closure of these two colleges by the Queensland Labor government should be condemned.

I brought this motion forward to draw the parliament's and the minister's attention to this important issue. Changes to the subsidy to the hourly rate of in-home child care now means that high-needs families are unable to get the child care they need to attend medical appointments, receive respite and go to work. Service providers are leaving the industry and carers are losing their jobs. As noted in the motion, we should recognise that although there are problems with the in-home childcare program some families with complex needs are facing a childcare crisis as a result of the changes.

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Education, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed the