Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I joined with my colleagues the member for Shortland and the member for Charlton at an important event at Newcastle university campus in Callaghan where we met with students from right across regional Australia. There were students there from Tamworth, from Port Macquarie, from Wagga Wagga, from Orange, from Taree—many areas where members opposite represent these students. What were these students talking to us about on the eve of embarking on a new venture in life, enrolling in university for the first time? What were they worried about? They were worried about being saddled with a lifelong debt and what that was going to cost them. They were worried about this government and members opposite ripping off funding and slashing funding to our universities by 20 per cent, a loss of $1.9 billion over four years. They were worried that when universities get the options to set their own fees they are going to be saddled with a $100,000 degree. They were worried that funding for PhDs is being cut by 10 per cent and what that will mean for the future research of our nation. They have got good reason to be worried because, despite what members opposite have to say, we have seen just today confirmation from Professor Chapman who says that, despite the minister trying to split his spill, he expects that prices for the Group of Eight strong demand courses will at least be 2½ times the current costs. (Time expired)