Labor pans uni focus group splurge

No amount of spin will get Australians to accept $100,000 university degrees, Labor says.

Opposition education spokesman Kim Carr on Saturday panned the federal government's reported $500,000 splurge on market research to help win support for its policies to overhaul universities.

"No amount of money, no amount of spin, will change the fact that Australians will never accept the idea that your education depends upon how much you can pay," Senator Carr said in Melbourne.

"No amount of government-funded advertising, publicly-funded advertising will change the Australian people's attitude."

Senator Carr said the unfair higher education measures were never promised by the government.

"In fact, they said exactly the opposite before the election," he said.

Fairfax Media reported on Saturday the federal government's $500,000 market research splurge will go on focus groups to help spruik its plan to uncap university fees.

The plan is yet to pass parliament.