Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Brandis, representing the Prime Minister. Every generation strives to hand down better living conditions to the generation that follows—until now, that is. We know from the torrent of budget leaks that young people are going to be screwed over again by this government. Uni students will have to spend a lifetime in debt, they will pay for your appalling inaction on dangerous global warning, they are bearing the brunt of cuts to weekend pay and they are being locked out of ever owning their own home. Minister, can you tell me how it is fair that your generation—a generation that benefited from free education, affordable housing, strong wage growth and a safe climate—is now telling the generations that follow that they cannot enjoy the same quality of life?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, it is the obligation of every generation to ensure that the next generation has better life chances than they did, and that is what this government have done. Senator Di Natale, you refer in particular to the higher education sector. One thing that any government, whether it be a coalition or a Labor government, must ensure that it does is maintain Australia's reputation for higher education. As you probably know, Senator Di Natale, at the moment, six Australian universities are ranked in the top 100 universities in the world. What that indicates is the strength of the Australian university sector. What we are doing is investing in that sector and making sure that beneficiaries of that sector make a fair contribution to it.

Senator Di Natale, contrary to what you have said in your question, we are asking students to make a modest increase in the contribution that they make to the education which they enjoy—the world-class education which they enjoy—while still, by the way, Senator Di Natale, subsidising their education by a factor of more than half from the income of taxpayers, who do not have the benefit that they do. You talk about social justice, as you often do, Senator Di Natale. I think it is just that the people who are the beneficiaries of a world-class tertiary education should make a substantial contribution to it. What the government has proposed, and what my friend Senator Simon Birmingham announced last week, is that we will be asking students next year to increase their contribution— (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, a supplementary question?

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Look, Minister, I get that young people are an easy target and they do not have briefcases full of cash to make political donations. Minister, when will you ensure—

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Standing order 73 relates to the body of a question and it talks about not making statements, arguments and inferences. That is exactly what we have had in question No. 1 and now the supplementary.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has been the practice of Presiding Officers in my time here that questions have contained preamble which does give some context to questions. Senator Di Natale was in order.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I understand that young people are an easy target and they do not have briefcases full of cash to make donations. So I ask you, Minister: when will you ensure that property investors and the mining industry pay their fair share, or is the $5 million that resource companies and the $17½ million that the property and finance industry have donated to the coalition over the last five years money well spent?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the Attorney-General: I adjudicate as to what time is allocated to the asking and answering of questions. Senator Di Natale was interrupted during the asking of his question and the clock was not reset to reflect that. So Senator Di Natale was in order.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Di Natale. I am at a little bit of a loss to see what the supplementary question had to do with the primary question, and I am amazed to hear that coming from you of all people, given that you lead a party which was the beneficiary of the largest single corporate donation in Australian political history—from Wotif. But, nevertheless, I will leave that alone. You say that this government is attacking young people, and you are absolutely wrong. What we are doing is ensuring that all generations of Australians, including the young generation of today, have access to a world-class university system, and that has to be paid for. And it has to be paid for from taxpayers' money, from a contribution from the students who are the beneficiaries or, as in the system introduced initially, by the way, by the Hawke Labor government, by a combination of both. What we will do is ask students to pay a contribution of less than half— (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, a final supplementary question?

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The former Treasurer and, indeed, the Prime Minister have laid out their plans for young people, which, in their words, amount to (a) getting a better-paying job and (b) getting your parents to shell out for a home. Minister, why do you hate young people so much?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, you really are a lot smarter than to ask a silly question like that. Among the things we owe young people is the opportunity to have access to a world-class university education, and that is what we are doing by ensuring that that world-class university system is funded. It will ensure that students who go through university are more than 50 per cent subsidised by taxpayers, who do not get the benefit that those students get of a world-class university system. Nevertheless, it will ask students to make a substantial contribution to the education of which they are the beneficiaries and which will improve their life chances above those of the people who subsidise them. We are asking them, via the HECS system, to make a contribution at a preferential interest rate which does not have to be repaid until they are well and truly in a position to do so. (Time expired)

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On my right! Senator O'Sullivan! Order! If senators wish to have this discussion outside the chamber, please leave the chamber. We are in question time.