More Hypocrisy From National

Calls from the National Party for the present government to increase funding for tertiary education are hypocritical to say the least, according the Chris Hipkins, President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association.

"Under the previous National Government, funding for tertiary education continued to decline while students shouldered higher and higher fees. It was the National government, not the present government, that created the massive student debt burden," Mr Hipkins said.

"For National to now claim, after only a year and a half in opposition, that our universities are facing a funding crisis is sheer hypocrisy. Has Mr Brownlee forgotten that it was National that cut funding for tertiary education by over 3% as recently as 1998?"

"Mr Brownlee is simply jumping on the nearest bandwagon to get himself some attention. National's recent release of a discussion document on tertiary education proved they were totally devoid of any new ideas, so now they are searching around for any headline they can grab,"

"We agree that extra funding is needed. The rumoured 2.6% funding increase won't go very far towards addressing the chronic under-funding of our universities, but we must not forget it was National that put us in this situation, and under a future National government the situation would only get worse," Mr. Hipkins concluded.

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