Lee canes Kemp in an overwhelming debate victory

In the most important portfolio debate of the federal election campaign, the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations awards an easy win to Opposition education spokesman Michael Lee over the outgoing Education Minister, David Kemp.

"Mr Lee's fresh, optimistic and imaginative performance could not have compared more starkly with Dr Kemp's dour, ill-tempered and narrowly doctrinaire attempt," said CAPA Vice-President Angela Pratt this afternoon from the National Press Club in Canberra, which hosted the debate.

"The respective performances highlighted the distance between the Coalition and Labor on the most important determinant of Australia's future social, economic and environmental prosperity.

"Having bled the nation's public education sector dry, the Coalition refuses to even acknowledge that Australian universities are under pressure. Kemp's performance today demonstrates the Coalition is utterly bereft of ideas for the management of the sector into the future.

"Dr Kemp's approach was belligerent, defensive, and backward-looking, which clearly signals that all we can expect from a Howard Government is more of the same - the further erosion of our educational capacity to a degraded and dysfunctional state.

"In contrast, Mr Lee offered an enthusiastic, forward-thinking and imaginative engagement with our national educational needs.

"His engagement with the issues indicates a capacity not only to revive a dangerously ailing sector, but also to invest in education in order to position Australia competitively in a challenging global environment.

"The choices here are clear," Ms Pratt declared.

"Labor stands for vision, revitalisation, genuine innovation and broad consultation. As a result of Lee's performance, we are excited about seeing the detail of Labor's policies following their analysis of the budget figures released today.

"The Labor Party is clearly keen to get started on its program of rebuilding and intelligent investment in our future capabilities as a society. In contrast Kemp and Howard seem to have run out of ideas.

"Labor recognises that sound education policy is the most elementary form of nation-building.

"Beazley and Lee are committed to building a national consensus around our education strategies, understanding that this is fundamental to the success of this community-wide continuing project," Ms Pratt concluded.