University students and staff have gathered in protest ahead of a senate vote on legislation that could see $1.2 billion cut from universities, student fees increased and the HECS threshold lowered more than $10,000.
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The National Tertiary Education Union's day of action - marked at the Australian National University with speeches and a sausage sizzle - centred on the slogan "pay more, get less", with speakers warning of job losses, bigger class sizes and diminished support services.
The government's higher education package would apply a 2.5 per cent efficiency dividend to universities, increase student fees by 7.5 per cent and reduce the HECS repayment threshold from $55,874 to $42,000.
National Union of Students welfare officer and Australian National University student Jill Molloy said students felt "screwed over".
"Penalty rates have just been cut ... the unemployment rates are massive and under-employment rates are massive. Now we see we're going to have to pay back our degree at $42,000," she said.
"I think students really feel like it's a tough time at the moment."
NTEU national assistant secretary Matthew McGowan said he was fearful of the impact on staff.
"I've spoken to staff at ANU here who are concerned about whether or not they're going to have a job in the next six months," he said.
"It's a very severe impact that these sorts of cuts have. If you've got fewer staff, inevitably it has an impact on the students - larger class sizes, fewer support services, less support in the libraries."
Universities Australia analysis has warned of a combined loss of $28.9 million from the ANU and the University of Canberra between 2018 and 2021.
"As our economy changes and old industries face new threats, Australia needs to keep – not cut – our investment in universities to create new jobs, new industries and new sources of income for Australia," chief executive Belinda Robinson said.
"And funding cuts that erode quality risk undermining the $24 billion in export earnings that our universities help to bring into Australia by educating international students."
The sentiment was echoed by ANU Postgraduate and Research Students' Association vice-president and international student Kim-Marie Spence: "For universities, just to blunt, international students are a big revenue source.
"Any diminishing of that has a knock-on effect because it affects the teaching and research that can be done, and that's for all universities around Australia."
"Our reforms still see university teaching revenue grow by a further 23 per cent over the next four years and will ensure the ongoing viability of generous higher education funding and access," Senator Birmingham told Fairfax Media on Saturday.
"While universities enjoy significant autonomy, taxpayers also expect their investment is being used as efficiently as possible."
