Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is just all too hard for the Labor Party. How is it that you can take $6.6 billion out of the higher education sector and then, when a solution is offered that not only allows it to thrive and proper but also is something that is being demanded by the sector, oppose the solution? The hypocrisy of the Labor Party is writ large. It is so disappointing to see the standard of our public debate in respect of good public policy. I heard the member for Newcastle talking about equality of opportunity. The reforms in the Higher Education and Research Reform Bill 2014 will, more than anything, deliver for those kids who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds more opportunity than they have ever had—unless we want to go back to the 1970s when Gough Whitlam, in his wisdom, brought free education to the people. The difficulty with Gough Whitlam's reforms was that those students from privileged backgrounds who were finding themselves a way to go to university—remember, a lot fewer people went to university in those days—were the same people who had always been going to university. And who was paying for it? The tradespeople and the people working on the shop floor were the ones who were paying the fees of people going into higher education. We know that people who go on to higher education earn 75 per cent more over their lifetimes, roughly a million dollars more, than people who do not. Do not talk to me about fairness. Just what does it say? Once the sector is reformed, more students will have the opportunity to go on to higher education, and the regional universities will be the big winners. I spoke passionately on the original bill because I believe that this is not just good reform but necessary reform, and that is confirmed by the sector.

One aspect that I want to talk about is the exports. Seventy per cent of the Australian economy is services—whether it be tourism, health services, aged-care services, finances, legal services or education—yet only 17 per cent of our exports are in the services sector. This is the opportunity. The students who come in from overseas who are attracted to universities and higher education institutions in this country do so for one reason. Yes, the beaches are good; and certainly the University of Tasmania is located in one of the most beautiful places on earth. But they come here because the quality of the education they get for the price they pay is great value. They get high-quality education when they come to this country. But guess what? If we sit on our laurels, if we dine out on our reputation, we are going to be overtaken at a million miles an hour by countries to the north—whether it be India, Singapore, Hong Kong, China or Japan—because those are the countries where those students who subsidise and cross-subsidise all of the students in Australia to go university will go, and they will be jeopardised. This is why the sector is calling out for change. This is part of the reason we have been able to deliver the free trade agreements: for the first time we are going to see the opportunity to attract more students out of Japan, China and South Korea to study in Australia. We are not an island in this sense. Our higher education institutions are competing globally. All they are asking for is a chance to compete. We must reform this sector.

Only last week the Hon. John Dawkins AO—I do not know the man but I believe he was a member of the Labor Party—came out in support of the plan. And there was another one; I think it might have been the Chancellor of the Australian National University, Mr Gareth Evans. I think he was also a member of the Labor Party. They are supporting the plan. Another one is Maxine McKew, also a member of the Labor Party. She has come out in support. Even the shadow Assistant Treasurer has written it down in black and white. He also supports reform in the higher education sector. It is overdue, it is necessary and it allows the higher education sector to compete.

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