Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues) Share this | Hansard source

I am interested to hear the member for Jagajaga talking about figures. What is truly remarkable is that the one person in this House needing remedial maths is the member for Jagajaga. Today we found the blooper of all bloopers. Yesterday the member for Jagajaga claimed in a media release that the Commonwealth funding for research and development had crashed to $1.5 million. In fact the figures that were released today show that Commonwealth funding for R&D reached an all-time high of $5.6 million—just a mere $4 million difference. Just a rounding-up error was it, Jenny? Talk about a need for remedial maths!

The total funding contribution by the Australian government to higher education in this country is now $7.8 billion this year. In actual terms our financial assistance to the sector increased 42 per cent between 1996 and 2005. This represents 98 per cent of public funding. The point that I have made is that the states and territories—that, as a matter of legislative fact, own, control and accredit universities—contribute two per cent of public funding. I do not think that is fair.

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