Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We all know that Mr Turnbull's coalition government doesn't care about Darwin and the Northern Territory. It was just last week, in fact, that he was shamed by the NT News, who ran a front page saying, 'Simply does not care'. For a while there, I thought it was just neglect or low priorities—we've seen no City Deal for Darwin, and there's been inaction on much-needed infrastructure for Northern Australia—but I'm starting to think, with the lack of support now for Charles Darwin University, that it goes much further than this.

Let's look at CDU, Charles Darwin University. With more than 24,000 students spread across 11 campuses, CDU delivers training in more than 170 locations across the Northern Territory. CDU is one of the five top Australian universities for graduate employment and salary outcomes. Each year CDU teaches over 4,000 Indigenous students. CDU employs the equivalent of 1,500 full-time people. And the Turnbull government have cut $30 million from CDU. I'll say that again for those opposite: the Turnbull government have cut $30 million from our great Charles Darwin University.

The vice-chancellor, Professor Simon Maddocks, was here in the House yesterday with his colleagues, pleading the case. He reconfirmed what a massive impact this is going to have on our young university, which hasn't got the financial depth and flexibility of some of our older, sandstone universities in the southern capitals. This funding cut will mean CDU will have fewer government-funded places to offer and will have to take fewer students, cancel some courses and travel less to reach the students in distant and remote parts of the Territory. This will have a crushing effect on our regional and remote areas.

CDU is an incredibly important part of our community, and it goes beyond skills and training, important as they are. Without a viable, active university, our young people might seek to go elsewhere for their education. Whole families might leave or not even come up to the far north. So it's a real concern for us. I'm thankful that the shadow minister for education, the member for Sydney, visited CDU recently to talk with the staff and the students. We know that this side of the House will support CDU into the future. I call on the federal government to reverse the $30 million of cuts to our university.