Salient. Official Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 41 No. 9. April 24 1978
[Introduction]
Highlight of the bursaries week was the forum with invited representatives of the major political parties. Labour didn't show up, Social Credit sent along the Wellington Central candidate Ron England, who knew almost nothing on the subject, and National's front man was Barry Brill, a self confessed non-expert on education.
Brill repeatedly told the students that it was up to them to pay their way with only partial assistance from the government; Sending students through university has never been the responsibility of the government and probably never will". Despite this statement, Brill constantly referred to the reformed bursary which National promised students in 1975 but hasn't been seen since.
He evaded charges of cheap electioneering in 1975. Confronted with copies of his party's own advertisements which state "All students will receive the Standard Tertiary Bursary", he was content to refer us to other advertising which made no such promises!
Brill admitted that many of the anomilies raised at the forum were "things that had to be looked at" and that he "would be taking them to the minister". Familiar? Two striking anomalies which really floored him were the abatement regulations, and the PhD deficiencies.