Fed: No full fee for uni students is still Labor policy = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2006
Fed: No full fee for uni students is still Labor policy = 2

Education Minister Julie Bishop said she was ready for a debate with Labor about full
fee paying university places.

"Bring it on," she told ABC television.

"Labor is totally confused on this issue, as they are on so many areas of education."

Ms Bishop said 97 per cent of Australian students at university were in commonwealth-supported
places.

Of the three per cent in full fee paying places, 37 per cent of those were in summer
or winter courses, which were held outside the semesters.

Ms Bishop said Labor had to decide how it would replace the funding that would disappear
if it scrapped full-fee places for Australian students.

"What Mr Beazley hasn't told us is whether he will fund the universities to make up
for the abolition of full fee paying places," she said.

"I believe that we should have a choice of being able to take up a commonwealth funded
place or a full fee paying place.

"And the full fee paying places do not take the place of a commonwealth funded place."

AAP rp/wjf/de

KEYWORD: EDUCATION BEAZLEY 2 CANBERRRA (REOPENS)

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