And the Barnaby goes to …

If the Liberal-National Party had an award for new senators with plenty to say it would go to Gerard Rennick (Queensland) whose first speech in the Senate included opinions on:

* TAFE skills-training which, “should take precedence over non-vocational university degrees

* “too many young people are graduating from university with massive debs but no employment prospects

* universities should underwrite the $60bn in student loans, “why should the taxpayer underwrite this without a guarantee from universities that their graduates will get a job and repay their debts?”

*international students “use infrastructure funded by the taxpayer” and compete against unemployed Australians. “It is time universities, not the taxpayer, funded the economic cost of housing them.”

Senator Rennick’s remarks did not generate denounceathons from HE lobbies yesterday, which was wise. There are people who agree with him and the way to convince them that he is wrong is evidence not outrage.