Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. I disagree with her analysis and I disagree with the statements she made. Instead, I agree with Peter Lee, who is the chairman of Southern Cross University, and also the chairman of the Regional Universities Network. Many of my colleagues on this side of the House represent regional universities. As part of our debate around higher education over the past 12 months, or more, we have been ensuring that regional universities are looked after and for the first time can compete with suburban universities for students. Peter Lee, the chairman of the Regional Universities Network, which represents rural and regional students said:

… universities are too important to the nation to be used in a partisan way as a political football.

He said further:

One is deeply disappointed at the failure of the government's higher education reforms to pass the Senate.

Another regional university, with the go-ahead Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman, from the Central Queensland University, said:

If regional Australia had any hope of ever catching up with city Australia in university participation … it would be through an uncapped student system in a deregulated market.

So I disagree with the analysis of the deputy leader, and instead, I substitute another analysis. What the Labor Party have done by voting down this bill last night in the Senate is deny students from country Australia the same opportunities to go to university as their city counterparts. That is what Labor has done.

Opposition members interjecting —

See this speech in context