Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question without notice is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. I refer to the Prime Minister's repeated promises prior to the election two years ago that there would be no cuts to education. Can the minister confirm that the government is still intending to cut funding for undergraduate places at universities by an average of 20 per cent and up to 37 per cent for some courses?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I will not confirm that, because one has learnt over the many years that Senator Carr has been in this place that he can never be relied upon for accuracy, so I will dismiss his assertions. However, in general what I can say is that the last budget has shown an increase in education expenditure. We are concerned to ensure that that does continue despite the reckless state of the economy and the finances with which we were left—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Which got worse under you.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, who cannot stop herself continually interjecting, says it has gone worse under us. The trajectory was on a steep incline when we came to government. We have decreased that steep incline. Is it still increasing? Yes, because to turn the ship of debt around takes some time. What is more, for the first nine months of this government the Labor-Green majority in this place denied us the capacity to turn the ship around. They even voted against their own savings proposals that they took to the last election. They refused to pass $5,000 million worth of election savings through this place, despite going to the people and saying, 'This is bipartisan policy. We support these savings.'

Are we in tight financial circumstances? Yes, we are. Are we making every single dollar count for the best possible value for the Australian taxpayer? Yes, we are. Are we getting rid of some of the ridiculous, unfunded promises from the Labor Party? Yes, we are. We said we would. We are doing it because we do not want to leave—(Time expired)

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Last month, a former senior education department official, Mr Mark Warburton, who helped develop the higher education policy, confirmed that it would see university funding halved over the longer term. He said:

It is not clear to me that education cuts of this magnitude will make the future of the next generation more secure …

With former officials now admitting that the policy is a dud when will the government rethink this broken promise, which puts the future of Australians—(Time expired)

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course the policy is not a dud. The policy that we have put forward is a policy that looks to the long term, especially for our tertiary education sector. Unless the university sector gets with the program and understands its need to compete on the international level, Australian universities will be left behind.

I recall that when I thought about going to university there was one option open to me. That was the university of Tasmania. For my children, the option was universities in Australia. I suspect that if I am ever blessed with grandchildren their option will be universities of the world. Unless the Australian universities are competitive on the international front they will be put out of business by human movement. (Time expired)

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate when the parliament will see the latest iteration of the higher education deregulation legislation? Will the changes still have a commencement date of January 2016?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As to the specific date, no I cannot, but as for a commencement date I think everybody on our side would like to see a commencement date of 1 January 2016. And, of course, the sooner the Labor Party comes on board with this important imperative for a university sector the quicker we will be able to bring the legislation in so that Senator Carr can vote for it. I ask that further questions be placed on notice.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank senators for their added cooperation during question time.