Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Finance and Deregulation) (14:50): As the senator would know—and I am surprised he did not ask the question of Senator Evans—this is a government that is making record investments in Australia's universities. He might come in here and try to construct some convoluted argument that, amongst the things that are going to fall apart when this country prices carbon—as Prime Minister Howard promised to do—is the Australian tertiary education sector, but I would suggest to him that that is simply untrue and an example of more scaremongering by the opposition. This government is making record investments in Australia's university system. This government is seeing additional students going to Australia's universities, including more from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. These are good things. Senator Brandis: Mr President, on a point of order: this answer has no bearing whatsoever on the question that was asked. The question asked whether modelling had been undertaken. The question more broadly asked about the impact of the carbon tax on universities. Nothing the minister has said has had anything whatsoever to do with either the narrower or the broader implications of the question. The PRESIDENT: Minister, I draw the question to your attention. There is one minute and seven seconds remaining for you to address the question. Senator WONG: I was simply making the point that the backdrop of the carbon price is unprecedented investment in Australia's universities. I know the opposition may not wish to recognise that the carbon price will come in at a point where we have a federal government which has delivered to the university sector 100,000 more students than when we came to government. That is the context in which the carbon price will be in place. It is the case that, as consumers of energy, there is an impact through energy prices on the university sector, as there is on others. But as I said, this is in the context of a government that has made very substantial and significant additional investments in universities and has delivered 100,000— Senator Ian Macdonald: Are they going to get any compensation? Senator WONG: One hundred thousand more students are now attending Australia's universities as a result of the policies of this government. That may be something the opposition does not wish to talk about, but those remain the facts.