Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question without notice is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister. This weekend is the one-year anniversary of the Prime Minister's pre-election promise of 'no cuts to education'. Why has the Prime Minister broken his promise to the Australian people by slashing $5.8 billion from the higher education funding in his first budget?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister made a number of promises to the Australian people, and the overarching promise was to get the budget back into shape. A budget situation that the Australian people understand included the borrowing, each and every month, of $1,000 million just to pay the interest on existing borrowings. I think most Australian people accept that that is unsustainable. Therefore, it was vitally important that we look at different sectors to ascertain how we could assist them and grow them without putting a further demand on either borrowings or the Australian taxpayer.

In the space of higher education, what Mr Pyne, in a very masterful way, has been able to craft is a policy that will see an extra 80,000 places for young, or mainly young, Australians to go to tertiary education. Surely, that is a huge win for the Australian population, especially those 80,000 that would have previously been unable to get into higher education but for our policy in this area.

What is very interesting is that, overwhelmingly, the tertiary sector are now coming on board as they understand more and more of our policy positioning in this area. Be it from regional universities, be it from the more established universities, be it from the commentators—they see the benefits of our changes, which will see a growth in the university sector, a sector that needs to remain internationally competitive as it is either our third or our fourth largest export earner.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. The National Party federal council last weekend urged change in the higher education package because regional and rural students will be priced out of a university degree. Does the minister agree with his colleague the member for New England, Mr Barnaby Joyce, that such students, 'If they have to go back to their parents and say, "Well, you'll actually have to pay for me to stay in Sydney or you'll have to pay for me to stay in Armidale," the parents can afford it'— (Time expired)

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not sure that there was actually a question there at the end, but we loved the rant that we have come to expect from Senator Carr, especially on a Thursday afternoon. It is one of the traditional events in this place to have Senator Carr provide us with the benefit of his decibels.

Can I say to the honourable senator that one of the benefits of our reform package is in fact the Commonwealth scholarship system, which will enable students to potentially use that scholarship money to actually live—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, Mr President, on direct relevance and also the fact that there was clearly a question placed to the minister—

Government senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There was clearly a question: do you agree with Barnaby Joyce's statement? He could review Hansard, Mr President, on that. There was a question and we have not got close to hearing a comment on Barnaby Joyce's statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Moore, you are correct: the senator did start his question by saying, 'Does the minister agree,' but he never actually concluded his question completely.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I did!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not completely.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I did!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister has gone just over halfway in answering the question—

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Order, Senator Conroy! If I am asked to take a point of order by your side, allow me at least to rule on the point of order. The minister was just over halfway through his answer. He still has 21 seconds left to answer the question.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Regional students and their communities are among the big winners from the Australian government's higher education reforms. Regional education providers will have the opportunity to offer more courses and be able to compete to attract more students. Indeed, that is why the Wollongong university— (Time expired)

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. At the weekend, a delegate to the National Party Federal Council, Martin Svikis, said, and I quote: 'Fee deregulation means let it rip.' Why is the government so determined to press ahead with fee deregulation when even rank-and-file members of the National Party know that it means 'let it rip'?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, you always know that Senator Carr is in trouble when he claims to be an expert in relation to matters National Party. I confess I do not necessarily always understand my coalition cousins. For it to come from Senator Carr really is stretching 'credulity' just that little bit too much. What we do want to see is the university sector grow. Whether you want to say, 'let it rip', I do not know, but to see the sector grow with an extra 80,000 positions is something, I think, we should all celebrate. Let us not forget that everybody with a university degree—not everybody, but on average—in their lifetime will be earning an extra $1 million over the income of those that do not have a university degree. This is an opportunity for another 80,000 Australians— (Time expired)