Robert Simms is an Australian Greens Senator for South Australia. He was endorsed by the South Australian Parliament in September 2015 and is the first out gay man to represent SA in the Federal Parliament. He is the Australian Greens' spokesperson for Higher Education, Sexuality and Marriage Equality, and Water and the Murray Darling Basin.

The Australian Greens are calling on the Abbott government to stop jeopardising the future of public education after reports that universities are bracing for a further 10 percent cut to research funding.

Greens spokesperson for tertiary, technical and further education said: "Yesterday's news was that the Abbott government may go ahead with its 20 per cent cut to university funding despite the legislation being blocked, and today it's the 10 per cent cut to the Research Training Scheme.