Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I know that my colleagues from the National Party have been asserting that they have some interest in this matter. I could remind them of their new policy platform, and that is that 'The Nationals believe that from preschool to university the higher standards and equality of access to education is fundamental to all Australians, regardless of where they live'. So how can they defend their Tory mates and the attacks that they have launched upon disadvantaged students, particularly in the regions of this country?

If you take my home state of Victoria, student bus subsidies have been slashed by the Baillieu government in that state. This is money that has helped to pay for buses that service the regions every day. Some 7,500 students in rural and regional areas have been left stranded in Victoria. This is on top of the scrapping of the School Start Bonus and the gutting of the Education Maintenance Allowance. So we know that it is parents from particularly disadvantage backgrounds— (Time expired)