Education Minister Simon Birmingham heckled at National Press Club address over university cuts

Updated

Protesters have disrupted Education Minister Simon Birmingham's speech at the National Press Club, protesting changes to higher education.

The protesters stormed the stage yelling, "No cuts, no fees, no corporate universities", with one throwing a napkin in the Senator's face.

Senator Birmingham was not disturbed by the protest and continued his speech after describing it as "side entertainment" and a "rite of passage".

"I think there's probably not been a year in the past few decades when we haven't seen university students protesting at some stage," he said.

It is unclear how the protesters passed security to enter the National Press Club.

At the time of the disruption, the Senator was outlining changes to university funding that will result in a 7.5 per cent increase in course fees by 2021, or up $3,600 for a four-year course.

Students also protested the changes outside the Education Minister and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's offices on Thursday.

Daniel Nesser, who organised protests outside Senator Birmingham's office, said the protest at the National Press Club had been planned well in advance.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was also confronted by protesters as she accepted an honorary doctorate at the University of Adelaide on Wednesday.

The Australian National University Students' Association (ANUSA) flagged the protest on Thursday morning, saying they were "outraged" by the changes.

"Students have fought deregulation before and we want to show Simon Birmingham that we will fight again," a ANUSA statement said.

"The measures confirmed by the education minister that will be in the budget mean students will be paying more and getting less from their degrees."

Topics: education, government-and-politics, canberra-2600, australia

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