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

Last night in the budget the Treasurer announced in the $1.7 billion higher education package that some $560 million in extra funding would be delivered to universities for courses such as science and maths and engineering and allied health and medicine and dentistry. In maths and science there will be an increase of some $2,729 per place; in allied health, some $1,889; and in engineering, science and surveying and clinical psychology, $2,729. So all told, that is $560 million in increased funding for specific courses that are part of our national priorities. In the case of accounting and commerce, we have put that into the same category as law because that reflects the cost of delivery of that course, it reflects the demand and it reflects the gross lifetime earnings of accounting graduates. Universities can decide for themselves whether or not there should be any change to the HECS.

See this speech in context