The Minister of Tertiary Education should stop making up stories about Labour's tertiary education policy, Labour associate education spokesperson (tertiary) Steve Maharey said today.

"Mr Bradford's comments to Canterbury University students were a mixture of distortions and half truths," Steve Maharey said.

"No wonder he gets mobbed when he is telling students such rubbish.

"I can see Mr Bradford's problem - he has no policy. After nine long years of a National Government, the problems in the tertiary sector are so big that even Mr Bradford has acknowledged the need for change.

"The Government has spent millions of taxpayers' dollars over the past two years on reviews and white papers which it now wants to bury.

"In the absence of any forward looking policy Mr Bradford is attacking Labour. We are happy to be the centre of attention because our policies have been very well received.

"No wonder. Labour's policies give the tertiary sector a sense of direction, new investment in teaching and research, addresses equity issues, and is committed to making tertiary education affordable to students.

"Our loans policy has been a hit because it will remove interest on loans while students are studying and assist them to pay off their debts.

"Mr Bradford can try all he wants to mislead people about Labour's policies but the fact is they are well understood and will help ensure Labour wins the next election," Steve Maharey said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>