Hundreds of Deakin University workers could soon lose their jobs as a result of the Morrison Governments neglect, Corangamite MP Libby Coker said today. The Prime Minister has failed the higher education sector. Staff at Deakin havent been supported. There was no Jobkeeper for them, Ms Coker said.

And it has been a double whammy for the university with the Governments failure to establish purpose-built quarantine facilities. Without them there has been no revenue from overseas students.

Billions of dollars were squandered by the Morrison Government on Jobkeeper going to businesses that didnt need it, yet our university sector, one of the nations biggest export earners, was snubbed.

Were now seeing the harsh impacts of Morrisons trashing of universities across the nation, and right here in our own region at Deakin. The talented people universities are forced to let go in order to stay afloat, is devastating. The sector will take decades to recover.

I feel for the local people who may lose their jobs. Every one of those jobs supports a family and our economy.

Australia is no longer the smart or the lucky country. Investment in education is crucial to Australias recovery from the pandemic, but the Morrison government refuses to support our university sector.