Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020

The majority voted in favour of a motion "that the words proposed to be omitted stand part of the question." In other words, they voted in favour of keeping the words of the usual second reading motion unchanged.

This vote occurred after Sydney MP Tanya Plibersek (Labor) proposed an amendment to the usual second reading motion.

Second reading motion

The usual second reading motion is "this bill be now read a second time." To read a bill for a second time is to agree with the main idea of the bill. Once agreed, the bill can then be discussed in more detail.

Amendment text

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"The House declines to give the bill a second reading as it is of the opinion that:

(1) the Government is making it harder and more expensive to go to university; and

(2) the bill will:

(a) cause students to pay more to attend university;

(b) ensure thousands of students will have their fees doubled;

(c) result in billions of dollars being cut from universities; and

(d) do nothing to get young people into high priority courses or jobs".