Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education. I refer to Michelle Smith, a mother from Geelong in Victoria. While studying she is working as a nurse to support her family. She is very concerned about being left with a massive debt as a result of the Minister for Education's changes to university fees. She describes them as 'absolutely heartbreaking'. Why is the government so determined to Americanise our universities, leaving people like Michelle with a debt sentence?

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

It is sad that it was not enough for the Leader of the Opposition to go to Adelaide a couple of weeks ago and give a xenophobic speech about the Japanese; we now have the member for Lalor giving a xenophobic speech about the United States. How low has the Labor Party sunk?

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Isaacs will desist.

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

I am very happy to answer the member for Lalor's question, because it is very disappointing that, as a former school principal, she does not know how the education system in Australia works. The United States does not have a higher education loan program, so their system bears very little resemblance at all to the Australian education system. The member's constituent will be able to borrow every single dollar for her education from the Australian taxpayer and pay it back at the best loan rates she could ever receive from any bank or any institution in her life.

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gorton is trying my patience.

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

She will not be asked to pay it back until she earns over $50,000 a year, and then she will be asked to pay two per cent of her income. If it rises to more than $100,000 a year—

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. What is the minister's answer to Michelle Smith?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. The member for Isaacs knows that is an abuse of the standing orders, and he will not repeat it.

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

I thank the member for Isaacs for being able to remind me of the name of Michelle Smith, because I can tell Michelle Smith that she will not have to pay back her loan until she earns more than $50,000—and even then she will pay it back at two per cent of her income. Even if her income rises to over $100,000 a year—I think the threshold is about $108,000; do not hold me to that as it is from memory, but it is certainly over $100,000 a year—she will be asked to pay eight per cent of her income. That is the maximum she could ever be asked to pay of her income. It is a very generous scheme. But, as the Treasurer reminds me, there is absolutely no reason to believe that Ms Smith might not get a scholarship to go to university, because we will have the biggest Commonwealth scholarships fund in Australia's history. And people like Ms Smith, if she is from a low-socioeconomic-status background, if she is a first-generation university goer, has every reason to believe that she will attract a scholarship, because they will be merit and disadvantaged based. And she will get to go to university, potentially, for absolutely nothing, and the university will give her a scholarship from the Australian taxpayer. So, it is all good news. Rather than trying to scare her constituents, the member for Lalor should actually be telling them the truth.