Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

You know what? I am going to give you an example of sub-bachelor degrees. If those opposite new where Mt Gambier was, I could tell that recently a collaboration between the University of South Australia and the world-renowned Australian jazz musician James Morrison was formed to established the James Morrison Academy of Music. That is a collaboration between James Morrison and the University of South Australia. When it begins it will provide sub-bachelor degrees to 70 students. They are diplomas and associate degrees. These tertiary opportunities would not be funded under the existing HELP legislation. Under the current legislation that those opposite support who want to get a Diploma in Music or an Associate Degree in Music from Mt Gambier's jazz centre of excellence, the James Morrison Academy, would have to—wait for it—stump the money up-front. Do you know what they get if those in the other place accept our very sensible reforms? Would they get is an opportunity to undertake that study and become world renowned jazz musicians, and they get it via a mechanism wherein they do not have to pay any money up front—not a cent. Under those opposite they would have to pay up-front every single cent. Under our proposals they are eligible for the Higher Education Loan Program.

I would love the member for Kingston to come to Mt Gambier with me next year and we will talk to those students and we will tell them—the member for Kingston will be honest with them, I am sure, and she will say, 'I wanted you to pay up-front, but that bloke over there, the member for Barker, he was happy for you to— (Time expired)

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