[Greens-Media] Cutting uni funding will be a pox on the old parties’ houses

[Orme, Alison (Sen L. Rhiannon)]

Media Release – 4 June 2013

Cutting uni funding will be a pox on the old parties’ houses

An admission in Senate Estimates that the government will hold back on legislating massive cuts to university funding until after the election will most likely put Tony Abbott’s Liberal party in the hot seat to pursue this deeply unpopular measure,  warned Greens higher education spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon.

“Ripping billions out of the university sector is not only dumb, a recent public poll shows it is extremely unpopular, and now it is likely that it will be Tony Abbott’s Coalition that will pushing these cuts through parliament after the Spring sittings,  said Senator Rhiannon.

“Polling released this week, commissioned by Universities Australia, showed that almost 90 per cent of Australians support increased funding for universities.

“If there is an Abbott-led government after the election, the Liberal party should be aware that 81 per cent of Coalition voters believe the $2.3 billion in cuts will threaten Australia’s future.

“These cuts are on the nose across the political divide,” said Senator Rhiannon.

Contact: 0487 350 880

Universities Australia polling: http://tiny.cc/hkr4xw

Alison Orme
Media Adviser (Tues-Fri)
Office of Greens NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon
72 Campbell Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
P: 02 9211 9523|Freecall (NSW): 1300 887 869 | M: 0487 350 880 |E: alison.orme at aph.gov.au<mailto:alison.orme at aph.gov.au>
SIGN UP TO STAY IN TOUCH at lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au/signup