John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. That's much better. Now I can hear. So, in relation to this whole attitude about a free tertiary education, I repeat: nothing is free; someone pays. That is a fact of the whole situation.

As has been noted by others, there are 10 key points in relation to this package, and I want to refer to a few specific ones. Over 80,000 students each year will be provided with additional support by 2018. This includes an estimated 48,000 students in diploma, advanced diploma and associate degree courses and 35,000 additional students undertaking bachelor courses. There will be more opportunities for students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds through new Commonwealth scholarships. This undoubtedly is the greatest scholarship scheme in Australia's history. Effectively, this equates to free education for the brightest students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, especially in rural and remote areas. When I say 'free', they will not have the fees afterwards, but the taxpayer or the university sponsoring it will, of course, pay for them. Universities will be able to set their own fees and therefore can compete for students. That is a good thing. With competition comes quality, and higher education providers will be more responsive to the needs of students and the labour market. When universities and colleges compete, the winners are the students.

This government is a supporter of research. Let me remind you of our commitment: $150 million next financial year for the national collaborative research infrastructure, $139.5 million to deliver 100 new four-year research positions per year under the Future Fellowships scheme.

Debate interrupted.