Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The Asia-Pacific contains some of world's largest exporters and consumers of education services. Australia is already a major player in higher education in the region with $10 billion in exports in 2011. The new APEC program has the potential to take this further by making it easier for our universities to establish campuses in the region through improving the consistency and transparency of regulations. It will help young people get access to a wider range of quality education services and thereby improve skills throughout the region.

It will help Australian universities integrate further with the region. Many developing economies in the Asia-Pacific are moving into higher-value-added manufacturing and knowledge-intensive industries. Access to a wide range of quality education services is crucial for this type of economic growth, and it is crucial for Australia's engagement in the Asia-Pacific more broadly. (Time expired)