Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth and Minister for Sport. What are the consequences of the Senate’s decision on the student services and amenities bill for regional Australia?

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would particularly like to thank the member for Ballarat for her question. I know just how concerned she is about the impact of this decision on the University of Ballarat in particular, just as the member for Macquarie is particularly concerned about the impacts that the visiting students from Charles Sturt University have told us about today in the House—because we on this side know that the decision of the Senate is going to have a particularly devastating impact on regional campuses and regional universities. But the thing that I would like to point out today is that it is not just we who realise this. Though they have failed to act and once again have toed the Liberal Party line, the National Party themselves know exactly how devastating this is going to be for regional universities.

As I outlined yesterday, Senator Joyce said as recently as November last year that VSU has been a fiasco for regional universities. It is interesting that he also said in 2005 that he believed that universities:

… should have the right to raise a fee to support facilities intrinsically part of a university.

But today I can tell you that Senator Joyce is not on his own on this one; he is joined by his colleagues in the National Party. Just this morning another National, Senator Williams, said on ABC New England radio: ‘In the Nationals we support in principle a levy being placed on students.’ Well, this is one of those occasions when supporting something in principle does not actually amount to anything. It is standing in this place and voting for it which will deliver for regional students. But once again they choose to talk the talk when they are on the radio and when they are talking to regional Australians but come into this chamber and betray them. Now they have to face the consequences of that, because there are almost 150,000 students who attend regional universities and campuses and it is those students who will be paying the price for the National Party’s cowardice.

I would like to draw attention to a couple of those students. One wrote to me last night—Billy, who studies at James Cook University, in the member for Leichardt’s electorate.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You might want to listen to this one. Billy said,

‘VSU has smashed my campus. We lost our welfare and academic help on campus and it was not able to support me and the other 3,500 students on campus. When we needed help we had to at some stages call or webcam Townsville just to receive some counselling.’ Perhaps the National Party would like to stand up in this place and explain exactly why they do not think that regional students, many of whom are living away from home for the first time, deserve face-to-face counselling—but the National Party do not think that is important. Perhaps they can stop pretending to care for regional students who are moving away from home to commence their studies and listen to the likes of Marshall, who moved from the small town of Clonbinane in Victoria to study at Victoria University. I will tell you what Marshall said to me. He said,

‘Moving to the city from a rural area was honestly uncomfortable. To move from a place where everybody knows everyone by name to a place where you are recognised as a number was a very sobering experience for me. Coming to university, I was under the impression that there would be clubs for every interest, whether they be debating, music, theatre or sport. However, sadly, these programs all had to be cancelled.’

But it is not just the students who are suffering. We know that there will be a decline in jobs in regional Australia as a result of this. The thing is that at least the Liberal Party do not pretend to care. The National Party stand in this place, pretend that they care about regional students and, when we give them the chance to vote to prove it to all of Australia, they cowardly follow the Liberal Party line. If you would like one further demonstration of just how it is that the National Party have been using politics instead of policy in their decision making—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Those on my left will come to order. The minister has the call.

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is all right, Mr Speaker. I can deliver one more example of this if they want it so much.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that you are doing well ignoring them but I think, for other people who might wish to listen to proceedings, that they should be quiet. Minister, you have the call.

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. In a great example of the inspired policy-making process that the Liberal Party follow, I would like to draw to the attention of the House some quotes from Senator Joyce. When he talked about just how he was going to make this decision, which is so crucial to regional Australia, he said, as is quoted in the Australian:

I still believe that university is more than just the academic, it’s the development of the person as a whole, but this issue is now secondary to the state election in Queensland …

While the Queensland election is on, I’ll have to fall into line … but (if the vote comes after the election) it’s a different kettle of fish.

Sadly, it is not a different kettle of fish, because the National Party are still just meekly falling into line with the Liberal Party, where we on this side of the House will continue to deliver for regional universities, for regional students and for our higher education sector.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Mackellar may have a point of order.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I do, Mr Speaker. I wonder if the minister could table the fairytale she was reading from.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the member for Mackellar asking for a document to be tabled or not?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Indeed I am, Mr Speaker.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She knows that she cannot argue the case, in that case. Was the minister reading from a document? Was the document confidential?