Patrick Dodson (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. I refer to the report by Cadence Economics, released by Universities Australia yesterday, which found that the ability of our nation to expand the knowledge and skills of our workforce to drive productivity growth is vital if Australia is to raise living standards. Minister, why is it the Turnbull government's policy to cut university funding and impose $100,000 degrees on students and their families?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Dodson, can I take this opportunity to welcome you to the Senate and congratulate you on your maiden question. I feel sure we all expect that you will make a distinguished and important contribution to the Australian Senate. However, on this occasion might I give you a tip. Do not read out questions that are handed to you by Senator Stephen Conroy, Senator Penny Wong or any of those geniuses who sit on the Labor Party question time tactics committee—because I am afraid that your colleagues have set you up. Far from the cuts of which you speak in the question that you were given, the Australian government in fact continues to be the majority funder of universities in Australia. In 2014, over $15 billion was spent by the Australian government on higher education supporting teaching and research. This is up from $12 billion in 2009 when the demand driven funding system was introduced.

Senator Dodson, I can assure you—and we will hear more of this in the budget tonight I am sure—that the government will continue to make significant investments to strengthen Australia's higher education and research sectors and improve Australia's position as a knowledge based nation. The government's support is important as universities make a fundamental contribution to the future of Australia and our intellectual, economic, cultural and social development. This government is absolutely committed to funding universities so that they can continue to do so. You will also be pleased to know that we are absolutely committed to the principle of equity of access so that the economic circumstances of a student should not stand in the way of their education. (Time expired)

Patrick Dodson (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Does the minister agree with Universities Australia that having more university graduates in the economy creates new jobs and lifts wages? Can the minister confirm that a 20 per cent cut to the funding of undergraduate places is still the Turnbull government's policy?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Although I have not read the statement by Universities Australia, I completely agree with it. I completely agree with the proposition that a better educated nation, a nation with a thriving and flourishing university sector in both teaching and research is overwhelmingly beneficial, and that is why this government is committed to supporting the university sector. That is why we want to encourage more young Australians into universities. That is why we want to improve the research capacity of Australian universities. That is why, as I said to you in answer to your primary question, we have increased spending from $12 billion in 2009 to over $15 billion in 2014 on the Australian government's contribution to university education. We on our side of the chamber are very proud of Australia's universities and we continue to support them. (Time expired)

Patrick Dodson (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister confirm that the deregulation of university fees remains the Turnbull government's policy?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Turnbull government's policy is to ensure that we have the best quality tertiary education sector that this nation can afford while at the same time, through our FEE-HELP arrangements, ensuring that economic background or economic circumstances present no barrier to entry to any university for any young Australian man or woman. That is what we care about. Unfortunately, for the Labor Party it is an either/or proposition, but we on our side of politics know—

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

Pause the clock.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance to Senator Dodson's questions. It was a very short question. It talked about deregulation of fees and whether that was the government's policy. I would like to see whether that could be brought to the attention of the minister.

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

The minister was asked to confirm about deregulation. The minister is still answering the question, and I believe he was relevant and leading up to the question. I invite the minister to continue.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We do not believe it is an either/or proposition. We believe you can have a world-leading tertiary education sector as we do and at the same time have equity of access so that background social and economic disadvantage is no barrier to entry by designing FEE-HELP schemes whereby students can make a contribution but they repay that contribution when they are in a position to do so. (Time expired)