South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has written to the Flinders University Council and Chancellor urging them to follow the University of Western Australia and reject the Abbott government’s desperate bid to find a host for climate sceptic Bjorn Lomborg.

"Flinders University should reject the Abbott Governments bribery of research money in exchange for hosting the climate sceptic Bjorn Lomborg," South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said today.

More than $78 million will be ripped out of South Australian universities in the next four years if the Coalition's cuts to higher education go ahead, say Australian Greens Senators for South Australia Penny Wright and Sarah Hanson Young.

The party this week launched a national campaign lobbying selected Labor MPs for their support in blocking the Coalition's plan to rip $2.3 billion out of the higher education budget.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne and Senator Sarah Hanson-Young have joined South Australian universities and students today to oppose Labor and Tony Abbott’s $2.3 billion university cuts.
 
Senator Milne said slashing funding to universities will hurt 70,000 South Australian students who will face more crowded classrooms and extra pressure due to cuts.
 
“Labor’s plan to make the start-up scholarships a part of HECS will add additional burdens for up to 18,000 of South Australia’s most disadvantaged students,” Senator Milne said.
 

Senator HANSON-YOUNG (South Australia) (20:03):

The Australian Greens have welcomed changes to the youth allowance scheme, saying they will now lead to all students in regional areas being on an equal footing with one another.

"These reforms, which follow a review negotiated by the Greens, have removed the discrimination faced by students living in parts of the country who needed the independent rate of youth allowance for their studies," Greens' spokesperson for youth affairs, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, said today.

The Australian Greens have today welcomed the federal government's financial assistance to Libyan students and their dependents who are undertaking courses in Australia.

"We are very pleased the Commonwealth has moved to help end the financial limbo faced by 650 students and their dependents following international sanctions against Libya," Greens' immigration spokesperson, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, said.

"The money is timely and will go a long way to easing the anxiety these future leaders of Libya and their families are experiencing.

The Australian Greens have again called for the Federal Government to support students from restive Arab countries, such as Libya and Syria, who are in Australia on student visas.

"I will be writing to the Immigration and Foreign Ministers urging they swiftly act to help students such as Libyans whose finances have been frozen by the international community's sanctions against the Gaddafi regime," Greens' immigration spokesperson, Sen. Hanson-Young, said today.

The Australian Greens will in the next sitting of parliament call on the Gillard government to help students in Australia who are from countries caught up in the Arab uprising.

"I have given a notice of motion that in the new Senate on July 4 the Greens will call on the government to extend on humanitarian grounds the visas of students from Libya, Bahrain and Syria," the Greens' immigration spokesperson, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, said today.

The Australian Greens encourage and support excellence in the teaching of our children.

"We want our school environments to be the best possible," Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson on education, said.

"We don't believe a one-off payment to teachers, based on the performance of students according to NAPLAN test results, is the best way to reward them.

Second Reading speech of Senator HANSON-YOUNG (South Australia)

(11.10 am)—I rise to speak to the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Bill and associated bills. I am happy to have heard both sides of the argument before putting forward the Greens position.