Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The problem with the Labor Party is that they seek crooks everywhere and they just want to put regulation on everyone, including on the people doing the right thing. Why should we seek to impose more regulation on those providers doing the right thing rather than to clamp down on those doing the wrong thing? We should be rooting out the people who do the wrong thing, not putting up the cost for our entire university sector. That is what Labor are proposing to do. They are ignoring the fact that we have increased standards in universities since 2009. They are ignoring the fact that the vast bulk of our education providers have a good name and provide good services. By opposing this motion, they are dragging our tertiary education sector through the mud by somehow saying that there are sharks everywhere. Will what kind of message does that send to overseas students?

An opposition senator interjecting—

Yes, Senator, you know a lot about sharks, I know. What sort of message is that sending when most of our education providers do the right thing? They provide excellent services and we should get behind them and support a more streamlined regulatory structure for our tertiary education. (Time expired)