Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education. Yesterday, the minister rejected suggestions that his unfair HECS changes would deter low-income students from going to university. But Central Queensland University has said that it fears that the minister's unfair changes will act as a genuine disincentive to study amongst our more exposed and disadvantaged student cohort. Why is the minister making it harder for low-income students to get ahead by Americanising our universities and saddling students with a debt sentence?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The vice-chancellor of Central Queensland University also said that he was looking forward to these reforms. He was actually licking his lips in anticipation about these reforms, because Central Queensland University:

…is a lip-smackingly good university.

That is what he said. The vice chancellor of Central Queensland University has talked about the extraordinary capacity that these reforms will give him to frame their scholarship program to actually attract students and compete with city-based universities.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler will desist.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That has been said too by the vice-chancellor of the University of New England. Paul Wellings, the vice-chancellor of Wollongong University, has talked about how for the first time ever regional universities will be able to compete on price with capital-city universities and frame their scholarship offerings around relocation costs; tuition fees, potentially; living expenses; accommodation and extra tuition. The fabulous thing about this deregulation and this reform is that will create a dynamic university sector that is competing for students. When competition enters, the students will be the big winners. They will not only compete on price but on quality. They will have to make an offering that will attract students to their institution. Regional universities, because of the lifestyle they can offer and the lower cost of living, will actually be able to compete very successfully with capital city universities. Jim Barber, who used to be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of New England, says this is the most significant reform universities have ever seen and will be the opportunity that regional universities need to compete with sandstone universities.

It is sad that Labor comes into this place, now almost every day, and tries to frighten and scare students. Its scare campaign has already been exploded this week by the University of Western Australia. I finish with a quote from the Group of Eight universities executive director, Michael Gallagher

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Jagajaga will desist.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He said, I think very sensibly:

… the 2014 Higher Education Budget reforms are necessary. They are logical, coherent, sustainable, equitable and inevitable.

…   …   …

My guess is that the detractors of micro-economic reform in Australia's higher education industry will find themselves on the wrong side of history in resisting efficiency improvement and innovation, as they will be in opposing the redistributive measures of the package and, curiously, supporting socially regressive subsidies from general taxpayers to more advantaged segments of the community.