2016-03-11
The Greens say the government must abandon its plans to increase university student fees and instead focus on building a sector that provides quality and affordable education, following Education Minister Simon Birmingham's speech to Universities Australia.
"Increasing university fees will saddle students with a lifetime of debt. Australians don't want to see a US-style education system where access to university is based on your bank balance," Greens higher education spokesperson Senator Robert Simms.
"Minister Birmingham is weighing up the private versus public benefits to investing in university degrees and is missing the bigger picture. Providing more funding for universities will lead to a more educated society of people well-placed to enter the workforce and give back to the community.
"The Greens call on the Minister to assign university deregulation to the scrap heap and boost public funding to universities so all Australians have the opportunity to access high quality and affordable tertiary education."
Media contact: Amy Moran 0417 173 508