Media release
The federal leader of the Palmer United Party and Member for Fairfax, Clive Palmer, has written to Education Minister Christopher Pyne advising him all Palmer United Party senators will vote against his education reform proposals for the Australian community.
“All Australians need access to higher education,” Mr Palmer said.
‘Deregulating universities just means they will cost more for all Australians to have a decent education to provide for their families.
“Australian universities should be for Australians. Australia has a great education system and it shouldn’t be destroyed by the Abbott government.”
Mr Palmer said the Abbott government should look at cancelling its plans for the Medicare co-payment, Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme and “other extravagant measures”.
“The government should direct its funding to abolish university fees and have a free higher education system to enable all Australians to have the ability to go to university,” he said.
“To make Australian students pay for their own education before they have earned any money only destroys their capability, enterprise and creativity.
“It also costs the nation the leadership that they can provide when they graduate.
“That’s why we haven’t had a Google or a Yahoo or an Apple coming from our universities because their creativity has been destroyed by the amount of debt they have to face.”
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