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

The Leader of the Opposition is claiming, first, that I want to Americanise higher education and, second, that I want to introduce a GST. As we know, the only political party which has recently modelled an increase in the GST is the Labor Party. We know that. And the only political party which has lionised American higher education is the Labor Party, not just the Labor Party but the Leader of the Opposition himself and not in the time of Bob Hawke but just this year. I am truly amazed that the Leader of the Opposition should ask this question. He must be suffering from short-term memory loss, because in July of this year, addressing the New York Academy of Sciences, the Leader of the Opposition said, 'In supporting start-ups, nurturing creativity and rewarding ingenuity, America shows us the way.' America shows us the way. So not only has he been caught out—

Mr Morrison interjecting—

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