THE HON. BRENDAN NELSON
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION

Brendan Nelson, thanks for your time.

Just relax, Bryan. Pace yourself.

You’ve announced plans to get stuck into the universities.

We’ve announced plans to reform certain aspects of the tertiary education sector. You see this is where the ABC gets itself into trouble. There’s no need to ask that question in that form. I don’t know why you do it. It gives you away. You’ve got an ideological position. You’re pretending to be objective. You’re working for the national broadcaster.

Who do you work for?

I’m in a different position. I work for the government.

Mr Nelson, I…

No, let me finish, Bryan. You’re a public servant. The ABC is owned by the government, by the taxpayers. Ordinary people paying their tax, that’s where your bread and butter comes from. Your job, if I might say so, is not to express your own particular poisonous prejudice. It is to make the program in the best interests of the whole of Australia, this is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

I understand that.

Well that’s good.

May I continue?

You may, but bear in mind the guidelines I’ve given you.

Certainly. And I thank you for the tips.

Pleasure.

Dr Nelson, you’ve announced plans to reform certain aspects of the tertiary education sector.

That’s right, Bryan, I have.

How are you going to achieve this?

What does it mean in practical terms?

Yes.

We’re going to get stuck into the universities, Bryan.

Yes. Why is that, Dr Nelson?

It’s ideological. There are ideas being expressed in the universities at the moment that are not the government’s.

Hasn’t that always been the case?

It has, Bryan. It’s taken us a while to wake up to it but we’re on to it now.

Are there other places where there are ideas being expressed which aren’t the government’s?

Outside the universities is the other main venue for dissent.

You believe that the universities should be controlled by the federal government?

I do. (He looks to the back of the room.) Who is that giggling? Come on. Share the joke.

Dr Nelson. You’ve said you don’t think university students should have to join a student union.

That’s right. I don’t think the Australian public wants its money spent on a lot of radicals running about the country doing as they please. (He looks to the back of the room.) Who said that’s what taxpayers are doing? Who said this government is a bunch of radicals who aren’t acting in the best interests of the country? I can wait. I’ve got all day. This has happened before, hasn’t it?

Not since you were here last.

We’ll wait, Bryan.

Are we staying in?

Yes. You can bang the dusters together. Come on. Bang bang.