8/12/2014 Source: Supplied

Education Minister Christopher Pyne is facing claims the ads are inaccurate and unnecessary.

The national “information campaign” on a new university funding system began yesterday but was authorised on November 25 — a week before those changes were rejected by Parliament.

PUP Senator Glenn Lazarus called the campaign underhanded and independent Nick Xenophon told ABC radio the ads should be withdrawn.

“This is not the law of the land. This is effectively party political advertising paid for by taxpayers, and that’s wrong,” said Senator Xenophon, who is sending an inquiry to the Auditor General.

The ads suggest that fee structures are unlikely to affect students too much — despite one university admitting students will have to pay for up to 90 per cent of their course. Source: Supplied

Labor’s higher education spokeswoman Sharon Bird said the campaign was “misleading and makes false claims about how much students will have to pay under its unfair higher education package”.

Education Minister Pyne has yet to respond.

Last Tuesday the Senate rejected government legislation to deregulate university fee charging and cut university funding.

In early October the government had commissioned market research and radio, TV, and social media advertisements promoting the proposed changes, news.com.au revealed last Thursday.

On November 25 Education Department secretary Lisa Paul had signed off on what was called “the 2014 Higher Education Reforms Communication Campaign”. These were the ads which began yesterday.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne has been slammed for going ahead with the ads. Source: News Corp Australia

A certification statement with Ms Paul’s statement said the advertisements would “inform the public of new, existing or proposed government policies, or policy revisions”.

They would also “provide information on government programs or services or revisions to programs or services to which the public are entitled”.

Critics are pointing out the changes the ads are explaining haven’t been approved by Parliament and a second attempt to have them passed won’t be debated until February at the earliest.

Labor is challenging as “false and misleading” claims in the ads including the statement the government will continue to pay half of a student’s university fees.

Ms Bird said in a statement that only two universities had publicly advised what their fees will be if the Government’s unfair package passes the parliament.

The government’s higher education home page is now promoting the new policy, even though it’s not yet law (and might never get through the senate). Source: Supplied

“Both reveal students will be paying up to 90 per cent of the cost of their undergraduate degrees with the Government contribution falling as low as 10 per cent,” she said.

“Under the University of Western Australia’s announced fee structure, Commerce students will pay almost 90 per cent of the cost of their degrees, Arts students will pay almost 74 per cent and even Science students will pay more than 57 per cent.”