Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

Let me reiterate what I said earlier: this is a reform bill. This is about changing the Australian higher education system so that it is amongst the most competitive in the world so that our students can be in the most competitive higher education institutions in the world. The choice that we are faced with is the approach that was taken by those opposite—and you know this is the case, Senator Rhiannon—in which the years up to 2016-17 would have seen $6.6 billion worth of cuts out of the higher education sector. You know that is the case. What we are trying to do is maximise the opportunities for students, provide pathways for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, provide scholarship opportunities, enable students who are studying for diplomas and advanced diplomas to actually receive Commonwealth support for doing that for the first time ever. Every single peak body in higher education in this country supports these reforms.