My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that, according to OECD figures released last night, Australia is the only developed country to have reduced public investment in TAFEs and universities between 1995 and 2003? Why has the government cut investment in Australian higher education by seven per cent when all other developed countries have increased investment by an average of 48 per cent? How does the Prime Minister expect Australia to compete when the US has increased public investment in tertiary education by 67 per cent; Canada, by 37 per cent; Japan, by 32 per cent; Spain, by 63 per cent; and Switzerland, by 74 per cent?

The facts are that Australian government funding for training has increased by 85 per cent in real terms since 1995-96 and that, if expenditure on TAFE colleges and institutions around Australia has fallen, that is the fault of state Labor governments.

Order! Members are holding up their question time.