Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Two, is it? So it is two, and 12 have been scrapped. You are on the ball there: 12 have been scrapped. TAFE education has been more crucial in this region than in other parts of Sydney. The state government changes increasing the cost of courses and reducing the hours of instruction have been accompanied by a massive cut by the federal government of $1.5 billion in vocational education and training throughout the country. That is having a very real impact in suburbs such as Holsworthy, Liverpool, Macquarie Fields and Ingleburn. I hope people recognise that for the upcoming state election.

The government wants to deregulate university fees. This is another area where location is crucial. The University of Western Sydney, because it has some social conscience, because of the nature of its creation, has agreed to hold fees. It will never be able to compete with the other universities in Sydney when attracting students. The status of that university will decrease very substantially because of the changes the government is trying to make.

Whether it is a cut to legal aid, the Medicare Locals or the trade training centres or whether it is pensioners being hit by a new way of assessing increases to their pension, the government say, 'Well, you know, it's not mean to accomplish a decrease in their pension.' Of course it is! That is their whole budgetary proposal. So when they say that they will go into a surplus, we know that what is being put in the so-called backburner for a while—deregulation of the universities; a commensurate, massive increase in student debt and the amount of money they will have to pay to go to university; and the cuts in health. The Minister for Health is still talking about the need for a cost signal so that poor people will not go to the doctor's too often. We know that the Prime Minister has refused, basically, to say how he is going to accomplish his surplus, throwing back to the opposition that somehow we have to write a budget for him. (Time expired)

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