Reports that very few students enrolled in private colleges graduate with qualifications reveals the extent of the negative impact for-profit companies are having on education standards, Greens tertiary, technical and further education spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon said.

"Assistant Minister for education and training Senator Simon Birmingham is crying crocodile tears over a problem the Abbott government created when they brought in their privatisation agenda for vocational education and training course," Senator Rhiannon said.

The Australian Greens have welcomed Universities Australia's call for increased government funding to the higher education sector, and applaud their decision to withdraw support for the Abbott government's policy of university fee deregulation.

"With Universities Australia withdrawing support for deregulation, the Abbott government should acknowledge it has lost its main support base and drop its proposals to increase fees and cut public funding" said Greens higher education spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon.

The Australian Greens have said the Abbott government has learned nothing from its two failed attempts at deregulating Australian universities, slashing billions from higher education and pouring public money into the coffers of private higher education companies, with all these measures back in the 2015 budget.

"Universities are again set to receive a 20 per cent cut while the Abbott government has restated its commitment to handing out hundreds of millions of dollars to private, for-profit education companies," said Greens higher education spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon.

Commenting on reports that the Abbott government will bank $3 billion in higher-education cuts in next week's budget, despite the relevant legislation being defeated, (The Aust: http://bit.ly/1R3fQEs), Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon said:

"The Group of Eight Vice Chancellors who were the Abbott government's most vocal supporters of deregulation, need to start speaking out against this latest attack on universities which will strip away $3 billion dollars, despite these cuts being rejected by Parliament.

Two thousand New South Wales residents have joined the ‘1 Million Reasons' campaign to send key crossbench Senators a postcard asking them to vote down the Coalition government's higher education cuts.

Launched a month ago, already nearly six thousand Australians have joined the ‘1 Million Reasons' campaign. Postcards signed by students, former students and their allies all across Australia have been sent to each of the six cross bench Senators.

Commenting on reports that John Dawkins is backing deregulation, Greens spokesperson for higher education Senator Lee Rhiannon said:

"John Dawkins was a former chairman and shareholder of a private for profit vocational education and training company - Vocation - that is now subject to three class-action lawsuits and reportedly may never trade again.

"Mr Dawkins' endorsement of deregulation shows just how desperate the Abbott government is.

The Australian Greens have today said that the biggest components left of Christopher Pyne's higher education Bill are a $450 million windfall to private higher education providers and debt that could be as high as $200 000 for some students.

The Australian Greens have said new polling released by the National Tertiary Education Union shows the Abbott Government should come clean on exactly how many millions of dollars of public money was spent on its dishonest higher education propaganda campaign.

NTEU polling released today shows that only 22 per cent of people have seen the ads and 55 per cent of people think it is inappropriate and unacceptable for the Abbott Government to spend public money to make the case for its higher education bill.