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

As I indicated in response to Senator McGrath's first question, there have been some very constructive proposals from crossbench senators, and their further input is warmly welcomed. But, otherwise, as Professor Greg Hill, the vice-chancellor of the University of the Sunshine Coast said yesterday, there is no alternative. There is no credible alternative from those opposite. They are the party of a dishonest scare campaign. They are a party of $6.6 billion in cuts to higher education and research and funding cliffs for research fellowships and infrastructure. These reforms will provide funding for research Future Fellowships and for the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, for which the other side left no funding at all. So if the reforms are not passed, there are not the funds to support these. We will lose valuable research talent to overseas and the 1,500 people whose jobs depend on NCRIS will lose their jobs. (Time expired)