Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In the words of Minister Pyne, this government is the best friend students have ever had. Today I rise to speak on the Higher Education and Research Reform Amendment Bill 2014 and the benefits it will bring to students across the country. The coalition is introducing some of the greatest higher education and research reforms in Australia's history. I am proud that the coalition government is helping to make Australian higher education the best in the world. I am also proud that we are striving to achieve the best universities in the world. Australia has always been a nation that endeavours to be the best it can be. These reforms will allow our universities to be the best they can possibly be.

When I started university, in 1987, I had to move away from my regional home town of Alice Springs. Like most students, I struggled on a small income while I was living away from home, in the big smoke of Darwin. I was the first of my family to go to university. After I completed my studies, my husband, Paul, went to university to study a bachelor of police investigations. My mother actually started tertiary education in her 40s, while I was still at university myself. To send one person to university can make a difference to an entire family's higher education experience. My mum has since gone on to study a graduate diploma in public sector executive management, a graduate certificate in public sector management, a bachelor of public administration and a master's of international management.

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