Australia must have "inclusive growth" to break an income recession and stop rising unemployment, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says.
Mr Shorten appeared on the ABC's 7.30 program, saying the Government's approach to economic growth was one that "killed confidence" and accused them of being "petty".
"This Government doesn't have a plan for growth and the measures that it's proposing like a tax on the sick, a GP tax, $100,000 uni degrees is not a recipe for growth," Mr Shorten said.
"But if people are keen to know who I am and what I stand for, for me you can have inclusive growth ... and not just be narrowly based like it is or a nation with expanding unemployment or indeed an income recession, which we're seeing for two quarters now under the current Government."
Mr Shorten refused to state his own proposed election policies, but said his government was prepared to make "hard decisions".
The comments come after the Senate on Tuesday night voted down Education Minister Christopher Pyne's legislation to deregulate universities, and after he reintroduced a revised bill into the Lower House on Wednesday morning.
Mr Pyne said the new bill was effectively the same as the previous one but admitted there were concessions that would wipe out a significant chunk of savings proposed under the reform.
He said he expected the bill to be debated in February and was hoping "time and persuasion" will get it across the line.
"It will pass the Senate at some stage, I believe in it fervently," Mr Pyne said.
"My view is that there is an understanding in the crossbench that there needs to be reform to the university sector.
"I believe there will be a majority for this reform next year, we simply need to give the crossbench more time to think about the aspects of the reform."
Mr Shorten pledged to keep fighting against the Government's reform proposals and seek a mandate at the next election for what he said was "an acceptable future for higher education".
Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Minister has warned Labor will be to blame if the Government has to look for savings from departments like hers to cover the gap left by measures blocked in the Senate.
The Government estimated about $28 billion of savings were being blocked in the Upper House.
Julie Bishop said if the changes did not pass, the Government would have no alternative but to look elsewhere.
"So, if savings are found from my department, I will hang that around the neck of [Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman] Tanya Plibersek each and every day until the next election," she said.
"Because she has a choice: pass the budget proposals that we took to the election and have been arguing for, otherwise if there are savings from my department she, as the shadow foreign minister, will be accountable for them."
Ms Plibersek said it was clear the Coalition was planning more cuts to foreign aid.
"I think it's plain, if you read between the lines, that Julie Bishop's been rolled in the expenditure review committee again," she said.
"She's softening up to make that announcement now. I don't blame her personally for this, I understand it must be humiliating to have the expenditure review committee coming back again and again to this same portfolio."
The Government already cut $7.6 billion from foreign aid, the biggest savings measure in the May budget.
Treasurer Joe Hockey is due to release a mid-year budget update in about a fortnight and has ruled out making new cuts to plug the Government's revenue shortfall.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, university-and-further-education, federal-parliament, business-economics-and-finance, bill-shorten, australia First posted December 03, 2014 23:04:42View the original article here
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