The education minister Simon Birmingham has refused to release a higher education policy prior to the election. Instead, the government has released a "discussion paper", and said it has plans to consult the sector.

The paper presents a number of options including partial deregulation and changes to the way that student loans are repaid.

Partial deregulation is where universities would be able to set their own fees for a few degrees, called "flagship courses", but would lose out on public funding.

The "consultation" phase is due to wrap up a few weeks after the election, but many education groups (including the NTEU and the National Union of Students) say they have been left out of the process.