Greens Deputy Leader and science, research and innovation spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today said that world-class research facilities around the country and about 1700 jobs face the axe from June 30 this year under Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s desperate attempt to pass his Higher Education bill by blackmailing the Senate.

“Education Minister Christopher Pyne is blackmailing the Parliament, saying that unless the Parliament passes his plan to increase university fees, he’ll take the axe to science and research facilities in this country,” Mr Bandt said.

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (15:48): I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the average unemployment rate in regional New South Wales has risen by 2.6 per cent since the Liberal/National Government came to office in New South Wales,

(ii) unemployment in regional New South Wales is now 8.5 per cent, compared to 5.8 per cent in the greater Sydney area,

(iii) more than 10 000 jobs have been lost in the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands area - 16 per cent of the workforce - since the Abbott Government came to office,

Senator Rhiannon (New South Wales) (11:55): I move

That the Senate notes:

(a) the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Four Corners program, 'Making a Killing' aired on 16 February 2015, exposed the abhorrent cruelty in parts of the greyhound industry and the horrific use of terrified live animals as live bait to 'blood' greyhounds in training;

(b) the extensive work of Animals Australia, Animal Liberation Queensland, and many others on this program;

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (12:46):

I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I table an explanatory memorandum and seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted.

The speech read as follows-

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (12:46): Tonight I will share with senators an inspiring and at times unsettling speech by Lili Shapiro. It brings together a young person's views on Australia's positions towards refugees and climate change. Lili worked in my office last year as part of her year 10 week of work experience. Lili is a student at Canterbury Girls High School. These are Lili's words. She has provided references for the factual material she refers to:

Four Corners' recent expose of extreme animal abuse in the greyhound industry was a terrible shock to many of us. The report was a result of hard work from Animals Australia and Animal Liberation Australia Queensland. Lee has joined with animal protection groups calling on state racing bodies to instigate life bans on individuals found guilty of live baiting, and for specialist government task forces to take over the regulation of the industry.

Greens higher education spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon commenting on the Liberal/National government plan to fine universities that overcharge for degrees said:

“Pyne’s penalty plan is more evidence that deregulation does not work.

“Government fines imposed on universities will be passed onto students, adding to the cost burden university fees already impose.

“The Minister has spent a year singing the praises of the marketplace as the way to determine fair fees for students. His arguments are in tatters now.

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (16:23): The Liberal-National government are trying anything to win the numbers to get this higher education bill passed. What we saw announced today by Minister Pyne is not a compromise; it is the Abbott government's great big new tax. But it is not a tax on those who should pay, the big end of town; it is a tax on ordinary people. It is a tax on, effectively, prospective students, students and their families, They are the ones who will cop it if these measures go through. We know that because of the way it has been set out.

Senator RHIANNON: Thanks for outlining this. It is impressive to see how it is coming together. I was certainly impressed with the emphasis that you gave, Mr Rogers, about culture, because I think that is often lost sight of these days. It is one thing to change the rules, but it is how we actually bring them into place. With regard to storage—again I really understood you were talking about from inception to grave, right through—the integrity and protection of those ballot papers goes to the heart of what we are talking about.

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (09:43): The first part of the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Direct Lending and Other Measures) Bill 2014 does extend the mandate of Efic's activities from supporting the export of capital goods, to all goods. So we are really going from a situation where so many of Efic's loans went for large mining projects and the infrastructure that supported them, and other related projects, to really being about services, consumer goods and many aspects of what are called SMEs, small and medium sized enterprises.