Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very surprised by the hypocrisy that is being generated by the Labor Party in the House this day. We all know that debate is healthy. It makes us examine our directions and focuses us on resolutions. I had the naive concept that the Parliament of Australia's primary function was to make the life of everyday Australians better, to put policy in place that will take us to a strong and prosperous future. I was of the belief that every member in this House had the same motive, and, you know, I really still believe this. But when facts are twisted and distorted for political grandstanding that damage our future, I am both disappointed and disgusted. Talk about unfair.

It was unfair of Labor to leave a debt level for government that is going to take many, many, many years of spending constraint to get us back on track. It is almost as if Labor gave up winning the 2013 election and put expenditure plans in place that would blow out the debt level. Frankly, this is below the ethos of being a good Australian. When you rent a house and then move on to another one, you make sure the lawns are mowed, the bills are paid and the house is clean—at least that is what a good Australian does. It should be the same for a government, but not so Labor. Between 2011 and 2013, Labor announced cuts of $6.6 billion in higher education and research. What were they thinking? Where did the student activists go? Where were the demands to fix this? Nowhere to be seen.

There was $6.6 billion in cuts—let me just repeat that again: $6.6 billion in cuts—to universities under Labor. No lifeline, no options and guess where that leads? A reduction in our research capacity, fewer courses on offer and increasing international competition. This would mean the income so far brought in from foreign students studying in Australia would decline and, worse than that, our students would have to go overseas to get a decent degree. Labor seems to lack all economic credibility. Seriously, is this the outcome you expected, or was it just another instance of an unintended consequence? What a mess. 'Oh, well, the coalition will fix it, they always do. It's not our problem.' It is Labor's problem, and it is Labor's responsibility to work with the government to find a resolution, a pathway. This continual political grandstanding is ridiculous. Labor rips the budget up and the important tertiary education, and then falsely criticises the process of deregulation, which assists our universities to survive. There will be a number of scholarships for students—80,000 of them in fact. These are students who would not normally get to university, and kids, like kids in my seat, would finally get a chance to go to university. It is appalling that this is being blocked. They can get diplomas and other qualifications and they can still get through the system.

Now let us get down to the nitty-gritty of this matter of public importance, this slogan that Labor has made up—yes, I repeat, made up—about these $100,000 degrees. Just exactly where did that come from?

I have investigated a little and done some research and I could not find any university that has actually published a fee of $100,000. I did some material research and a local university said that the prospect of $100,000 degree would mean that they would have to increase their fees by more than 120 per cent—yes, 120 per cent. Does anyone, apart from the Labor Party, think that any university business management would even imagine such an increase? What utter rubbish.

Universities are already very competitive. They have a number of assets: the reputation of their qualifications, their employment post graduation and, you guessed it, the cost of their courses. When will Labor get real? When will they actually tell the truth? In my area I have two Labor members who are both shadow ministers and they combine together to put out press releases against a single backbencher. To me, this means they really know they are on shaky grounds and they know they caused this problem with the Labor policies in the first place.

Instead of spreading mythology, let us list the benefits: increases to tertiary education and increases to the Commonwealth Grant Scheme. HECS is not new; it has always been there. You only have to pay it back after you are earning $50,000. The first speaker today said that universities are not supportive; well they are—lots of vice-chancellors, chancellors and their administration. More importantly, these 80,000 students will have access to many forms of higher education. Let us put our students first. Let us increase their opportunities. For goodness sake, put politics aside and put our youth first.

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