Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

It is a delight to get a question from Senator Carr in relation to the higher education portfolio. In no way is the government considering taxes on universities, but this government is absolutely considering every possible way to make sure that we can sustain universities at a world-class level into the future, to make sure that we can provide the opportunities for Australian students who qualify to study at universities and to make sure—as I told the Senate yesterday—that we can preserve the uncapped system of places for undergraduate courses at Australian universities.

The reforms we have brought to this Senate, which we brought through the parliament last year, which we have reintroduced and are bringing back to the Senate, are all about trying to make the funding equation for universities sustainable so that it can support a continuation of the uncapped demand system for undergraduate places; so that it can ensure that the most disadvantaged have access to university through the Commonwealth scholarship scheme we propose; and so that we can open up pathways for people and we can open up Commonwealth funding for diploma courses. We are pursuing a range of options.

We are also open to discussions with the crossbenchers, even to discussions with those opposite, and to discussions with others in the sector who come up with different ideas. We are willing to pursue constructive approaches to try to get reforms through that will give sustainability of funding to universities in the future. Right now, those opposite are simply being obstructionist. Right now, the only alternative is Senator Carr suggesting that he would cap university places again—Senator Carr saying he would strip away the opportunity for thousands and thousands of Australians to go to university in future. That is not what we want. We want a sustainable funding system instead. (Time expired)