Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question without notice is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. Can the minister confirm that despite another policy backflip the government remains committed to university fee deregulation, $100,000 degrees and a 20 per cent cut to university funding, and has only given our scientists a 12-month reprieve?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can indicate to the honourable senator that, yes, the government is committed to deregulation of universities. We believe it is very good policy. I would just remind the honourable senator that a former distinguished Labor premier and the defeated Labor candidate for Forde, Peter Beattie, warned: 'Make no mistake, without funding reform, Australian universities will inevitably slip towards mediocrity'. That is the Labor Party's proposal for the universities. Even the Labor Party's own statesmen have called them out in relation to this matter.

In relation to the assertion of $100,000 degrees, Professor Chubb and others have ruled that out and have exposed the mischief that the Labor Party have been peddling on this.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Professor Chubb? Better check your briefing notes!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Carr, you have asked your question.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In relation to a 12-month reprieve for the scientific community, I simply remind the minister that, under his charge, the Labor Party would have stopped funding as of the end of June 2015. There is not a single cent in the Labor Party forward estimates for the research and science sector in our community.

We are committed to that sector and that is why we said we would make money available, to the tune of $150 million, which has been roundly welcomed by that sector. What we have also said is that, given the discussion on higher education, we would decouple the two issues to provide that security, but also to seek to pursue the issue of university deregulation which is so vital for our children's future. (Time expired)

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I ask: did the Prime Minister authorise the education minister's threat to hold the jobs of 1,700 scientists hostage to get his way on university fee deregulation? When did the Prime Minister change his mind?

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What a crazy bunch of ideologues you are!

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, you have the ongoing interjections of the hapless Senator Cameron—a man who presided, with his Labor Party frontbench, to ensure that no money would be available to the research and science community in this country. We said very clearly that $150 million would be made available for—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock. You have a point of order, Senator Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order: relevance. The minister was asked about the Prime Minister's authorisation of the threat to hold these jobs hostage and when he changed his position.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, I will remind you of the question. You have 38 seconds in which to respond.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The $150 million of which I was talking is exactly the money we made available to provide for the funding of those 1,700 scientists who, under the Labor Party regime, would have been sacked as of 1 July this year. Nobody was held hostage. What we as a government said was that, if you make a new policy proposal as a government, you have to have financial offsets. We had one offset that has been offered. That has not been accepted. There are now other offsets that will be made. (Time expired)

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I ask: did the Prime Minister speak to his former parliamentary secretary before changing his position or did he simply heed Senator Bernardi's public advice: 'Playing games with our scientists and research hasn't seemed to have done the government any favours'?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am indebted to the ever-helpful Minister for Finance, who provided me with Budget Paper No. 2. I read from page 88 for the benefit of the honourable senator so that he will not continue to mislead the Australian people:

The Government will provide $150 million in 2015-16 to continue the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, which funds the operation and maintenance of critical national research infrastructure. This funding will allow the most critical existing research facilities to continue to deliver maximum benefits to the research community.

That is $150 million that Senator Carr could not get out of the Labor cabinet when he was part and parcel of the Labor ministry in control of this country. So these are crocodile tears from Senator Carr. We are used to them, but they do him no justice.