Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The government's very strong conviction is that the deregulatory changes that we announced in the budget—this important reforming budget—will allow universities to get on with their lives, which is the way it should be. We are absolutely confident that these changes are going to be good for universities and good for students. It is not just my confidence; let me cite a great authority on these things. This authority said:

Australian universities should be free to set student fees according to the market value of their degrees.

This authority further said:

Universities will have a strong incentive to compete on price and quality.

This is a terrific statement. It is really good. It goes on:

Much-needed additional funding will be available to universities that capitalise on their strengths and develop compelling educational offerings.

Gee, this is good!

Mr Nikolic interjecting—

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