Christopher Pyne is out to break one of the longest spells of ineffectiveness that any Australian political party has ever had in a key policy area. When Federal Parliament resumes sitting next week he will attempt to pass his higher education reforms through the Senate. If he succeeds, the Abbott government will be the first…
Senator McKENZIE (Victoria) (20:50): Here we are re-prosecuting the rhetoric once again, with the Labor Party and the Greens trotting out their familiar lines. The Coalition believes that every child in this nation is entitled to a great education no matter which school they go to or where they live, which is exactly why the…
ELEANOR HALL: The Federal Government appears confident that it will seal a free trade agreement with China by the time president Xi Jinping arrives in Australia for the G20 summit later this week. The Australian and Chinese leaders are meeting in Beijing today at APEC. Australia's Trade Minister says the deal is within “striking distance,”…
Nationals Member for Murray Valley, Tim McCurdy, recently briefed his federal colleagues on the devastating impact the methamphetamine drug, ice, is having on regional Victorian communities. Mr McCurdy is a member of the Victorian Government’s Law Reform, Drugs and Crime Prevention committee which held an inquiry into the supply and use of methamphetamines, particularly ice,…
Senator McKENZIE (Victoria) (01:36): It gives me great pleasure to rise tonight to participate in the adjournment debate. This fortnight, government senators have worked very hard to demonstrate to the public the co-dependent relationship between the ALP opposition and the union movement. We have hoped to highlight the abuse of the rule of law, of…
THE Abbott Government has been told by one of its own senators to tweak higher education reforms to make sure a university education was still accessible for as many people as possible. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie chairs a parliamentary committee that wants the government to give regional universities more help and change its plans to…
A stronger scholarship system would help poorer students. Gough Whitlam's death focused attention on his decision to abolish university fees. But, far from opening the door to people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the share of students from families in the bottom socioeconomic quarter remained static at about 16 per cent after 1974. The sons and daughters…
I rise very proudly tonight to speak to the Higher Education and Research Reform Amendment Bill 2014. I also rise to speak as the chair of the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee. We conducted a very comprehensive inquiry into this piece of legislation. There were over 169 submissions and four days of hearings, and…
BY Katina Curtis The Abbott government has been told by one of its own senators to tweak higher education reforms to make sure a university education is still accessible for as many people as possible. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie chairs a parliamentary committee that wants the government to give regional universities more help and change…
The Chair of the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, Senator Bridget McKenzie, has presented to parliament a report supporting the Coalition Government’s proposed higher education reforms. The committee’s report is the result of extensive consultation and hearings involving a wide range of mostly higher education stakeholders including students. It focuses on the impact on…