Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Wang for his question. The government is committed to ensuring that we deliver reform for higher education in Australia, reform that secures the future of quality higher education well into the future. What is important for our higher education institutions, for our universities, is that they have secure funding and funding that allows them to access not just a defined government scheme reliant upon a demand-driven program for places but also funding relevant to the course they are providing and that they are able to compete amongst each other, excel in areas of innovation and specialise in particular courses.

Throughout this process we have been very willing and committed to engage on these policy reforms. We stand by them. We think they are appropriate reforms to provide security to the higher education sector and to universities in the future. But, equally, we have been willing to compromise and listen. I have thanked in this chamber previously some of the other members of the crossbench and indeed you, Senator Wang, for the constructive way in which you have engaged with us and for your willingness to provide suggestions. We have adopted some of those suggestions in our reforms to date. We are very happy to continue those discussions. We are very happy to have those discussions with you and with the higher education sector.

But this chamber should remember that the higher education sector is broadly supportive of the reforms: Universities Australia, the G8 group and the Innovative Research Universities. All of these key institutions and groupings have stood together. Forty out of 41 vice-chancellors supported the reform package. The groundwork was done to build support, but we of course remain willing to listen, engage and consult. (Time expired)