Australian PM Tony Abbott takes student protests in stride

Australia's prime minister made light of student outrage over education spending cuts Saturday, boasting that he had finally attracted more protesters than the education minister, according to dpa.
Tony Abbott told a meeting of his Liberal Party that during a visit to Adelaide University on Thursday 400 people were inside the lecture hall and 500 outside.
'And thanks to the wonderful white horses of the South Australian police, none of my different groups of friends met on that particular night,' he said.
'But I've finally drawn a bigger protest than Christopher Pyne.'
Students across the country have been staging regular protests for months, lashing out at Abbott and Pyne over plans to cut funding for universities by 20 per cent and deregulate fees from 2016.
The students argue that fees and interest rates on loans will increase. Fees at universities in Australia are among the highest in the world, with international students charged much more than locals.
The country is among the top three destinations for international students, particularly from China.