Ugly week in politics ends in protest outside Pyne speech

It’s been an ugly weeks in politics and things turned particularly nasty today as a protest by university students opposing the federal government’s education reforms was put down by police armed with capsicum spray.

About 40 students attempted to enter a lecture by Education Minister Christopher Pyne in Sydney's CBD this morning, only to be met by a line of police officers.

Shouting and chanting the protesters marched on the Sydney Masonic Centre in Goulburn Street until being pushed back by police.

One student was shoved against a wall and then dragged away as police advanced on the group, spraying.

Another, legally blind student Anna Amelia, was also sprayed.

“The police came and mace’d us in the face, it’s like torture,” she told 9NEWS.

There were no arrests and police said they were concerned a “crowd-crush situation was imminent”.

Earlier, Mr Pyne outlined new standards for teaching training.

“The government is doing things that it can do immediately,” he told the education conference.

While some of the government’s new measures will be welcomed, changes to university funding changes are still strongly opposed by the Opposition.

Other key budget measures are also still being delayed by the Senate.