Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Every single dollar will be covered by HECS or FEE-HELP, which stays, and fully 50 per cent of the cost of every student's education will be covered by the taxpayer. What we are doing is perfectly reasonable. It is a perfectly reasonable development of the policies that were put in place by a great Labor leader, Bob Hawke. Let me read from Labor's shadow Assistant Treasurer:

Australian universities should be free to set student fees—

Mr Shorten interjecting—

Boring? This is your own shadow Assistant Treasurer.

An opposition member interjecting—

No, this is our friend the shadow Assistant Treasurer:

Australian universities should be free to set student fees according to the market value of their degrees. Universities will have a strong incentive to compete on price and quality. Much-needed additional funding will be available to universities that capitalise on their strengths and develop compelling educational offerings. The result will be a better funded, more dynamic and competitive education sector.

Government members interjecting—

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