Ms MACKLIN (2:46 PM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for Education, Science and Training. Are you aware that last year 44,000 Australians missed out on a university place and that this year even more Australians are being turned away? Isn't it the case that more than two-thirds of these people—over 30,000 people, in fact—would have gained a place at university if your government had maintained public contributions per student at 1996 levels? Minister, given that the Commonwealth is now contributing $780 less per student than when your government came to office, and thousands of eager young Australians and older Australians are missing out on a university education, why have you ruled out increasing higher education funding in the May budget?

Dr NELSON (Minister for Education, Science and Training) —I take the opportunity to congratulate the member for Jagajaga on her elevation to deputy leadership of the opposition. A point that needs to be made first in relation to higher education—and I am very pleased that I have been asked a question about unmet demand and the number of places in Australian universities—is that there are a number of issues that need to be pointed out. The first is that there are now 55,000 more equivalent full-time student unit places in higher education than there were when this government came to office in 1996.

Some 25,000 of those are fully funded undergraduate places. The sector this year will have $10.4 billion dollars available to it in terms of revenue; $6.15 billion of that will come from the Commonwealth government, $1.98 billion more than it had when your government left office. And, most importantly in terms of unmet demand, in 1992 when there were 1.1 million Australians in this country without work, do you know how many people could not get a place in university? Twice as many as there are today. One hundred thousand people could not get a place in higher education in this country.

The other thing that needs to be made clear is that the opposition has a choice. The Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition have a choice. You can spend this year doing what you have done for the past six years. You can oppose every single measure that is brought into the parliament by this government to increase wealth creation and you can do everything you can to oppose every measure that is proposed by this government, or you can support me and support this government in addressing the real issues that face Australian higher education.

I have foreshadowed that much of this year will be spent in the process of policy review in relation to higher education and universities. We have to make sure that regional universities are on a sound footing. We have to have a system which means that work practices in universities are not much different from the rest of working Australia. We also have to ensure that the universities in large cities are able to see that they can compete with the rest of the world. What that means is reviewing all of the issues that affect universities, including governance and administration. If you want to come in here every day for the next year and criticise anything and everything that we do, then you consign yourselves to another term in opposition.

I would also say to the newly elected member for Burke—and I listened with interest to his first speech—that in 1995, 15 per cent of students in Australian universities came from the bottom 25 per cent of income earning families. Three years after the election of this government it had increased to 19 per cent. There are 10,700 more students in universities today from low socioeconomic backgrounds than there were when we came to office. This government is about ensuring that higher education and information, research and innovation are the foundation for the future of this country, and you ought to help us put together meaningful policies to expand them further.

The SPEAKER —This is the first opportunity the parliament has had for a question time. I did not, for that reason, interrupt the minister for education but, in fact, of course, the reference to `you' makes the chair feel decidedly uncomfortable and places the answer somewhat outside the standing orders.