Mr Wilkie has commented on the forthcoming budget cuts to universities …
“There’s nothing smart about the Government’s plan to cut university funding in next week’s Federal Budget,” Mr Wilkie said.
“Australian universities are already underfunded by about $1bn a year and the Government’s efficiency dividend will just go and make the situation a whole lot worse.
“Moreover the decision to significantly reduce the HECS-HELP threshold from $55,000 to $42,000 puts it just above the minimum wage and will be an unreasonable burden on students. The reduced threshold will also be a disincentive to some people attending university in the first place.
“Yes universities cost a lot of money. But they are one of the most important building blocks of a modern knowledge economy and should be a priority for funding.
“This Government, like the Abbott Government, has its priorities totally out of whack.
“At the same time it’s cutting uni funding it’s determined to give a tax cut to big business and loan almost a billion dollars to help out a foreign company to build Australia’s biggest coal mine.”
Andrew Wilkie, Independent MP for Denison
