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

The Labor Party approach in government was to cut $2.7 billion from universities without the corresponding granting of freedom to universities to innovate and compete with their Asian competitors. Labor's approach is to say no to 80,000 more places at university, to say no to the Commonwealth scholarships fund, to say no to expanding the Commonwealth Grant Scheme to non-university higher education providers, and to say no to lifting the cap on diplomas so that those people in Western Sydney get the chance to use pathways into being first-generation university goers.

Unfortunately, Australia's No. 1 whinger has no plans for Australia's future. The only response he has is to say no to the government's attempt to re-energise higher education to give our universities the chance to compete against their Asian competitors. But we will persist because we know that what we are doing is right and good for students and universities in the future.

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