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Malcolm Turnbull says it been established for a long time that uni students should contribute to their degrees, though his undergraduate degree was free.

By SIMON KUPERMAN

The current Turnbull Liberal Government, like its predecessor the Abbott government, is proposing that the most significant increase to university tuition fees since the Howard era.

Education Minister Senator Simon Birmingham said this week the fee increase would be "phased in, starting with 1.8 per cent in 2018 and cumulating to a 7.5 per cent increase by 2021". Repayments on student loans will start at the lower threshold of $42,000. 

• The Whitlam Labor Government made attending university free from January 1, 1974.
• This lasted until 1989 when the Hawke Labor government introduced the HECS system and charged a fee of $1800 per year to every university student.
• The system further changed in 1997 when the Howard Liberal government increased fees through a new tiered pricing system, with higher potential income degrees costing more.
• Fees further increased when in 2005, the Howard government allowed universities to increase their fees by a maximum of 25 per cent.

But how many among the current government Cabinet paid for their own university education?

Mojo investigated, and discovered that most paid nothing, or for only part of their degree. 

Mojo has also calculated how much those years of free university education would cost students now.

In an interview with ABC Radio Perth on Tuesday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull dismissed concerns.

“It’s been established and accepted for a very long time that university students should contribute to the cost of their university education,” he said.

Here is a list of every Cabinet member who has obtained at least a Bachelor degree within the Australian university system. The amounts listed are based on the current 2017 fees for those degrees and do not include the proposed fee increases by the Liberal Government. Only first and Australian degrees are included. 

In total the Cabinet would have paid an additional $429,260 in university fees based on today’s rates.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison were both contacted for comment but did not return calls in time for publication.

THE TURNBULL CABINET AND THEIR EDUCATION COSTS

These ministers received completely free university education

Malcolm Turnbull - Prime Minister
Bachelor of Arts/Law from University of Sydney
1974 - 1978
Free - full degree
Would pay today for full degree - $47,500 approx.
Source: http://sydney.edu.au/courses/bachelor-of-arts-and-bachelor-of-laws

Julie Bishop - Minister for Foreign Affairs
Bachelor of Laws from Adelaide University
1975 - 1978
Free - full degree
Would pay today for the full degree - $42,400 approx.
Source: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/degree-finder/2017/blaws_llb.html

George Brandis - Attorney-General
Bachelor of Arts/Law (Honours) from University of Queensland
1976 - 1980
Free - full degree
Would pay today for the full degree - $52,602 approx.
Source: https://future-students.uq.edu.au/study/program/Bachelors-of-Arts-Laws-Honours-2361

Fiona Nash - Minister for Regional Development, Regional Communications, Local Government and Territories
Bachelor of Arts (Liberal Studies)** from Mitchell College Bathurst (Now Charles Sturt University)
1984 - 1986
Free - full degree
Would pay today for the full degree - $19,008 approx.
Source: http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/fees-and-costs/commonwealth-supported-places

Christopher Pyne - Minister for Defence Industry
Bachelor of Law from University of Adelaide
1985 - 1988
Free - full degree
Would pay today for the full degree - $42,400 approx.
Source: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/degree-finder/2017/blaws_llb.html

Greg Hunt - Minister for Health, Sport
Bachelor of Arts/Law (Honours)** from Melbourne University
1984 - 1988
Free - full degree
Would pay today for the full degree - $44,486 approx.
Source: https://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/fees/ug-dom/subject-fees

Marise Payne - Minister for Defence
Bachelor of Arts/Law from University of New South Wales
1983 - 1987
Free - full degree
Would pay today for the full degree - $44,486 approx.
Source: https://student.unsw.edu.au/fees-student-contribution-rates

Mitch Fifield - Minister for Communications, Arts
Bachelor of Arts from University of Sydney
1985 - 1987
Free - full degree
Would pay today for the full degree - $20,250 approx.
Source: http://sydney.edu.au/courses/bachelor-of-arts

Arthur Sinodinos - Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science
Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from University of Newcastle
1976 - 1979
Free - full degree
Would pay today for the full degree - $42,384 approx.

Source: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/296823/2017-COMMONWEALTH-SUPPORTED-STUDENT-CONTRIBUTIONS.pdf

Received part of their degree free (started before 1974 or finished after 1989)

Barnaby Joyce - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources
Bachelor of Financial Administration** from University of New England
1986 - 1989
Free - 3 years
Paid - 1 year
Would pay today for 3 years of the degree - $31,776 approx.
Source: http://www.une.edu.au/current-students/my-course/fees/student-fees/2017-course-fees/2017-csp

Scott Morrison - Treasurer
Bachelor of Science (Honours) from University of New South Wales
1986 - 1989
Free - 3 years
Paid - 1 year
Would pay today for 3 years of the degree - $27,150 approx.
Source: https://student.unsw.edu.au/fees-student-contribution-rates

Michaelia Cash - Minister for Employment, Women, assisting the Prime Minister for Public Service
Bachelor of Arts from Curtin University
1988 - 1990
Free - 1 year
Paid - 2 years
Would pay today for 1 year of the degree - $6350 approx.
Source: http://courses.curtin.edu.au/course_overview/undergraduate/arts

Christian Porter - Minister for Social Services
Bachelor of Arts/Economics** from University of Western Australia
1988 - 1991
Free - 1 year
Paid - 3 years
Would pay today for 1 year of the degree - $8468 approx.
Source: http://www.studyat.uwa.edu.au/undergraduate/fees/commonwealth-support

Studied under the HECS system (post-1989)

Steven Ciobo - Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment
Bachelor of Law/Commerce from Bond University; Master of Law from Queensland University of Technology

Kelly O’Dwyer - Minister for Revenue and Financial Services
Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts from University of Melbourne
1995 - 2000

Josh Frydenberg - Minister for the Environment and Energy
Bachelor of Law (Honours)/Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from Monash University
1991 - 1995

Peter Dutton - Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology

Simon Birmingham - Minister for Education and Training
Masters of Business Administration from Adelaide University

Matthew Canavan - Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
Bachelor of Arts/Economics (Honours) from University of Queensland
1998 - 2002

Didn’t attend an Australian university

Mathias Cormann - Minister for Finance
Bachelor of Law from Catholic University of Leuven
Attended University in Belgium

Darren Chester - Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Did not attend university

Nigel Scullion - Minister for Indigenous Affairs
Did not attend university

This list includes only those degrees received under the Australian system. Not all degrees the ministers have received are listed as some have subsequent degrees from overseas institutions.
**This degree is no longer available at this university. The amount listed is the cost of the degree that replaced it or of the same cost band that would have applied to the degree.