Key crossbencher Jacqui Lambie has revealed she will not support the Morrison government's controversial university funding reforms, saying the bill "deserved to fail".
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After holding her cards close to her chest for months, the Tasmanian independent senator came out swinging against the reforms in a statement on Wednesday evening.
"I'll be damned if I'm going to be the vote that tells the country that poor people don't get dream jobs," Senator Lambie said.
"This bill makes university life harder for poor kids and poor parents. And not only does it not have the same impact on wealthy families, it even gives them sweetheart little discounts."
Senator Lambie also took aim at One Nation, which has reportedly promised two votes for the bill in exchange for reinstating the 10 per cent discount for students who paid their university fees up front.
She said it would make it cheaper for rich families to attend university, while doing nothing to help poorer families.
"Nothing about this indulgence from One Nation could be considered to be helpful to the battler," Senator Lambie said.
"It just means that the wealthier you are, the cheaper university becomes. It's just a good break for those who've enjoyed more than a few good breaks."
Senator Lambie also said cutting students who failed half their subjects in the first year off from government loans also favoured "rich kids".
"More than half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander students fail at least one subject in their first year. That's 50 per cent higher than non-ATSI students," Senator Lambie said.
"The ones who are least likely to fail a subject? They're studying full-time. They've got really high marks at school. They're studying at a physical campus, living away from home. The only ones who are able to afford that sort of student life are the wealthy ones. They're doing great out of this.
"Focusing on first-year failures just bakes in disadvantage."
Senator Lambie's stance means Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff will likely have the deciding vote on the major overhaul to university funding.
The government claims the package will create an extra 100,000 university places for domestic students in the next 10 years and make degrees cheaper for industries which are in hot demand.
However it does that by jacking up the fees for arts and humanities degrees.
