Senator STOTT DESPOJA (12:24 PM) —Obviously in a very non-joking way, I want to make it very clear that up until this morning Senator Carr had the support of the Democrats for his second reading amendment because we agree with the substance of it. When I got into this chamber and found out that the Labor Party were not supporting the amendment that would actually bring into effect the rhetoric of his second reading amendment, I was not sure we should support it, because I do not think you should reward bad behaviour. Also, I do not think you should have rhetoric in second reading amendments that is not supported in the body of the bill. This committee stage may be a joke for some people, but if you really feel strongly about privatisation of higher education and you really disagree with those private providers and those in table B having additional access to public funding that should go to universities that are public institutions then you should vote for the amendment that is before us. It does not matter how many questions you ask in the committee stage, you are still going to bring in, by stealth, this privatisation with which I thought a majority of us disagreed. I commend the amendment to the committee and I hope that it will be supported.

The CHAIRMAN —The question is that schedule 1, item 2, stand as printed.

Question agreed to.