Mr CAUSLEY —My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs. Is the minister aware of claims about universities funding and access to university places? What are the facts of the situation?

Dr KEMP (Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs;Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) —I thank the member for Page for his question. I am aware of claims about university funding. In fact these claims are coming from the member for Werriwa, who seems to have taken a couple of hours off from promoting his book to shoot out a press release. I can only assume that he was stung by comments in caucus yesterday. This article in the Sydney Morning Herald is entitled `Hard line Latham unnerves Labor'. A number of members of parliament expressed their concerns about the risks involved and about his performance in the education portfolio. When you read the press release, those concerns are well justified. This press release put out by the member for Werriwa is replete with inaccuracies and false statements. The press release says that universities this year are facing the biggest funding cuts, the greatest cut in student places and the introduction of up-front fees.

Let us see what the facts of the situation are. There are no cuts to university funding this year. In fact, Commonwealth funding for universities is up $40 million over last year. This is an increase, but to the member for Werriwa it looks like a cut. It makes you wonder about some of those footnotes in the book. Total university revenue over the last two years, government and non-government—of course, our policies are designed to give the universities the ability to raise funds from alternative sources as well—

Mr O'Connor —Mr Speaker, on a point of order: standing order 59 suggests that the minister should be directing his answer to the chair; as he has his back to you, could you bring him to order please?

Mr SPEAKER —The honourable member for Corio will resume his seat. Can I say to all members that the point of order does have relevance. There is far too much cross-chat across the chamber.

Mr Fitzgibbon —And tell the truth!

Mr SPEAKER —The honourable member will withdraw that statement.

Mr Fitzgibbon —I withdraw.

Mr SPEAKER —The minister will resume answering the question but direct his remarks through the chair.

Dr KEMP —Mr Speaker, you will be particularly interested to know that total revenue for the universities is $550 million higher this year than it was in the last year of the Labor government. Commonwealth-funded student places, far from falling, are increasing. There are 10,000 more Commonwealth-funded student places in universities this year than there were in Labor's last year. In fact the total number of undergraduates is up by 19,000. But the member for Werriwa is going around telling people that places have been cut. In fact, funding per fully-funded student place from the Commonwealth is now the highest for eight years. When it comes to compulsory up-front fees, the champions of compulsory up-front fees are the Labor party, because they have been insisting on compulsory up-front fees for student unionism for many, many years. Those compulsory up-front fees are to fund their union mates. We may well ask the member for Werriwa whether they are included in the up-front fees he intends to abolish. The fact is that, when it comes to his own portfolio, the member for Werriwa is just as weak in standing up to the union pressures on the Labor Party as every other member of the front bench, including the dinosaurs he is trying to get rid of. It is very revealing that, as he said in his speech at the ALP Hobart conference early this year:

I look forward to working closely with the leadership of the two unions, the AEU and the NTEU—

the National Tertiary Education Union—

to turn the contents of this platform chapter into the programs and policies of a Beazley Labor government.

There will not be a Beazley Labor government and the reason there will not is that, when it comes to any portfolio policy, the only policy they have is the one handed out to them by the unions. That is why he is out there today talking to his union mates who are organising this day of action. This day of action is totally unjustified. It is an example of the Labor Party/union strike ethic eroding the culture of learning and rational debate in the universities. There is only one group in this parliament committed to pursuing the interests of students in this country, and that is the coalition.