Labor pledges to end uni funding freeze

A Labor government would once again offer universities enough taxpayer funds to cover as many undergraduates as they wish to enrol.

Deputy leader Tanya Plibersek will use a speech to the Universities Australia conference on Thursday to commit the opposition to fully restore demand-driven funding and pledge a return to three-year budget cycles for higher education.

The Turnbull government's two-year freeze on student funding and subsequent changes to indexation - done in a manner that bypassed parliament - were a "brutal and reckless way" to find savings, she will say.

"This action is intended to destroy the demand-driven funding system."

By contrast, Labor was "absolutely committed" to uncapping of places and restoring the funding system it started in 2012.

"We won't walk away from it," Ms Plibersek will tell the gathering of university leaders, who have campaigned hard against the $2.2 billion cut.

"We won't stand by and let the Liberals destroy this proud Labor legacy.

"We can't simply go back to the old days of the Howard era where if a student was indigenous, poor, had a disability, or lived in the country or an outer suburban area, there was much greater chance they would miss out on the opportunity of a university education."

She will say Labor wants universities to continue to have the freedom to innovate and deliver, but will caution that freedom comes with responsibility.