Andrew Giles's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2026-02-10T22:05:31+00:00
items: Bolkus, Hon. Nick | Condolences | House debates
items: g27.1
items: Tertiary Education and Training | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
items: Medicare | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Vocational Education and Training | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Communications, the Arts and Sport Committee; Reference | Committees | House debates
items: Customs Tariff Amendment (Geelong Treaty Implementation) Bill 2025; Third Reading | Bills | House debates
items: VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Financial Systems and Other Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Address-in-Reply | Governor-General's Speech | House debates
items: National Skills Week | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
items: Apprenticeships | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Scullin Volunteer Awards, Tertiary Education | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Universities Accord (Cutting Student Debt by 20 Per Cent) Bill 2025 | Statements | House debates

Bolkus, Hon. Nick | Condolences | House debates
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description: I rise to associate myself with some wonderful remarks commemorating the life of a great Australian, Nick Bolkus—those remarks made by the Prime Minister; the Leader of the Opposition; my...
encoded: I rise to associate myself with some wonderful remarks commemorating the life of a great Australian, Nick Bolkus—those remarks made by the Prime Minister; the Leader of the Opposition; my friend the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, very powerfully last night; and, of course the very moving tribute offered by the Minister for Health. I rise to make a few brief remarks associating myself and reflecting on the Hon. Nick Bolkus's legacy, and in doing so I remember that in December last year I had the opportunity to meet his daughter Aria in her capacity as South Australian Labor's candidate for Colton. I reflected then on some similarities that appeared to me and how wonderful it was to see a legacy continue in that family. It's tragic that only days afterwards Nick passed away. Beginning my remarks, I, of course, think mostly of his family—of his wife, Mary, who I had the privilege of working with in former capacities, and the daughters: Aria, who I mentioned earlier, and Mikayla, who gave a wonderful tribute that has been reflected on in this place already. For me, I find it difficult to overstate the significance of the influence the Hon. Nick Bolkus had on the Australian Labor Party, particularly its Left; on the state of South Australia; and indeed on the shape of our country. He leaves an indelible mark on the country that we live in today, and I want to touch on that through the lens of the role that he played as a minister, as a very significant part of the more than 25 years he spent serving diligently the people of South Australia in the other place—a time marked by an unusual adherence to a really clearly defined set of principles through which he approached his tasks in politics, but ensuring that those principles were always given a practical application, which I think is the very best of the movement that I'm proud to be a part of. Nick Bolkus's most significant impact was in portfolios that I had the privilege of holding for a period of time. Thinking …
date: 2026-02-05T10:32:00+00:00

g27.1
type: item
title: Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025, Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: Labor is the party of education and of training. We know the power of education and training, which transform lives and transform communities. As the Minister for Skills and Training, I'm very...
encoded: Labor is the party of education and of training. We know the power of education and training, which transform lives and transform communities. As the Minister for Skills and Training, I'm very proud of the work of this government, particularly that of the Minister for Education, to ensure that our tertiary education system—both university education and vocational education—is in the best shape for Australians now and well into the future. The Australian Tertiary Education Commission is a key piece of the puzzle in this regard. This was, of course, a recommendation from the Australian Universities Accord, a blueprint that tells us about the kind of work that we need to get on with doing to set up the system for the next 20 years and those structural reforms that we need to pursue: building stronger links between vocational education and universities, allocating funding under the new Managed Growth Funding System, implementing needs based funding within the core funding model and negotiating mission based compacts to support the sector. Fundamentally, what the accord tells us is that, in the coming years, there will be more jobs requiring more skills and requiring vocational qualifications, higher education qualifications or both. Australia needs to grow the number of Australians with a tertiary qualification to four in five. To achieve this, we need to set the system up to meet the modern needs of Australians. At the very core of this is breaking down those artificial barriers that have separated our university and vocational education systems. As I said at the National Press Club last year, these are 'a barrier to meeting the needs of our modern economy, and that contributes to skills mismatches and shortages in critical areas'. We can make it easier for Australians to get the right skills in whatever combination that might be, bring together the very best of both pathways that work for students and unlock the breadth of opportunities that will allow us to grow our …
date: 2026-02-05T12:15:00+00:00

Tertiary Education and Training | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: Thank you to the member for Deakin for the question. Every day in this place we see what a wise decision the people of Deakin made last May. He came to this place having been a teacher and saw...
encoded: Thank you to the member for Deakin for the question. Every day in this place we see what a wise decision the people of Deakin made last May. He came to this place having been a teacher and saw first-hand the power of education changing people's lives. And he knows, as we all do on this side of the House, that Labor is the party of education and the party of training, and we're the party of TAFE too, which is why I'm so excited to be celebrating the third birthday of free TAFE. There's much to celebrate. There are 725,000 enrolments in courses, which is building that pipeline of workers Australia needs, whether it's nurses, construction workers, tech workers, early childhood educators and so many more. And, already, 210,000 courses have been completed, with plenty more to come. To celebrate the third birthday, I had the opportunity to catch up with some students past and present to hear about how free TAFE has helped set them up for their futures. In particular, I heard from Ryan from Croydon in the Deakin electorate, who started his working life as a trade apprentice but was injured. He told me that, at this stage, even though he wasn't earning because of this injury, free TAFE meant that he could actually, in his words, give it a shot and see if he enjoyed this change of course. And now, thanks to his cert IV in cyber, he's got a job in that field and is really contributing to Australia's future, one of near 70,000 enrolments in tech and digital courses playing their part in helping Australians navigate the online world and helping others to stay safe. When students say free TAFE has been lifechanging, those of us in this place should listen. On that note, the member also asked me about the future of free TAFE and risks, and I can say to everyone on this side of the House that the future is secure. More Australians under us can do what Ryan has done and set themselves up for life, but those opposite, who used to in coalition, haven't been listening to people like R…
date: 2026-02-03T15:27:00+00:00

Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
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description: Sunday 14 December will forever remain in our nation's memory as a day of loss and of sorrow. Hundreds were down at Bondi that afternoon, celebrating together by the sea. But their joy was...
encoded: Sunday 14 December will forever remain in our nation's memory as a day of loss and of sorrow. Hundreds were down at Bondi that afternoon, celebrating together by the sea. But their joy was shattered by an act of terror that stole the lives of 15 Australians: an attack on Jewish Australians and on the very idea of Australia itself. It was an act designed to spread fear and sow division, an act of deliberate antisemitic hate. The day was not chosen by chance. Jewish Australians had come together to celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah, a festival that brings light into darkness—a time for family, a time for community and for resilience. These messages of hope now carry, for all of us, a much deeper meaning as we come together—as we should in this place, Australia's parliament—to mourn the victims, to share our collective condolences with family and friends, to stand with the Jewish Australian community in their grief, and to bear witness and assume responsibility. Last month the Jewish community stood strong, continuing to mark Hannukah, determined to shine light into what must have felt like an overwhelming darkness. This resilience demands more than just our admiration. Australia has been—and remains, in my view—the most successful multicultural society. What we've been building together is precious: a place where everyone belongs; a place indelibly marked by the contribution of Jewish Australians; a place which offered something much more than just safety to so many Jewish refugees a couple of generations ago; a place where people can be proud of who they are; and a place where they can freely and safely practice their faith, as Jewish Australians should have been able to do on 14 December before that murderous act of terror, which has already taken an extraordinary toll—15 lives taken and a community in shock and grief. But this toll cannot extend to tarnishing what makes our country unique: the strength of our diversity, underpinned by our respect for each and eve…
date: 2026-01-19T14:03:00+00:00

Medicare | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: The Albanese government is delivering better access to affordable healthcare services across Melbourne's northern suburbs. On 1 November, our government rolled out the single largest investment...
encoded: The Albanese government is delivering better access to affordable healthcare services across Melbourne's northern suburbs. On 1 November, our government rolled out the single largest investment in Medicare's history—an expansion of the bulk-billing incentive to all Australians so that more people, including people across all of the suburbs that I represent, can see a GP for free. This is an investment that will deliver an additional 18 million bulk-billed visits each year nationwide. I visited the Epping Plaza Medical and Dental Centre, one of six clinics in my electorate that returned to full bulk-billing on 1 November, bringing the total number of fully bulk-billing clinics in the Scullin electorate to 13. I'm pleased to say the response right across my community has been incredibly positive, because people remember the threat of the GP tax. People remember the impact of the Medicare freezes, but, thanks to Labor's changes, all that people need in the Scullin electorate or right around Australia to access high-quality GP services is their Medicare card. The work that we've done to back in GP services complements the existing and fully bulk-billed Epping Medicare urgent care clinic, which saw over 14,000 presentations in its first year of operation, making a huge difference. I also want to recognise the Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic, which has been providing women right across Melbourne's northern suburbs access to a service that provides specialised care in a community that for too long was denied access to this kind of service. So I'm very grateful to my friend the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and Assistant Minister for Women, Rebecca White, who was at the Epping Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic, where she announced an additional 11 endo and pelvic pain clinics to be rolled out across Australia, making a huge difference in those communities—the same difference, the same impact that I have seen in the northern suburbs. Australians in the …
date: 2025-11-25T16:32:00+00:00

Vocational Education and Training | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: I've been talking about the 725,000 enrolments in free TAFE and 210,000 course completions. These are thousands of Australians who, if it wasn't for free TAFE, wouldn't have been able to take up...
encoded: I've been talking about the 725,000 enrolments in free TAFE and 210,000 course completions. These are thousands of Australians who, if it wasn't for free TAFE, wouldn't have been able to take up their opportunities. While the Liberals are concerned with distraction and division, we are getting on with the job and delivering for Australians, rebuilding TAFE—debt relief and free TAFE.
date: 2025-11-25T14:58:00+00:00

Vocational Education and Training | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: I thank my friend the member for Hasluck for her question. It was fantastic to be with her in her electorate last week to open the brand-new clean energy training facilities at Midland TAFE,...
encoded: I thank my friend the member for Hasluck for her question. It was fantastic to be with her in her electorate last week to open the brand-new clean energy training facilities at Midland TAFE, something she fought for and won. It was also great to hear from local students about how much they value the opportunities that free TAFE is providing them. The Albanese government has put TAFE back at the heart of skills and training because it belongs there and always should've belonged there. We're backing in the hard work of TAFE students like those that the member for Hasluck and I met last week, and their amazing teachers too, by updating TAFE facilities through our government's TAFE Technology Fund, which includes $3.24 million for Midland. Great Western Australian students like Timothy, Brock and Kudakwashe are benefiting from our investment. It's not only facilities that we're rolling out for TAFE students that the member may be interested in hearing about. Our government is also rolling out cost-of-living relief to ensure that Australians can get the skills they want for the jobs that we need. Australian apprentices and VET students are among those around the country hearing from the ATO about the Albanese government's 20 per cent cut to student debt that's being applied to their accounts right now. That's thousands of dollars that many of these students are saving on student debt. This is a pretty special bit of news to those of us on this side of the House and those millions of Australians anyway, news that we're proud to deliver because we know it makes a big difference in the lives of Australians. But, of course, that's not all. Free TAFE is reaching new heights. There are now more than 725,000 free TAFE enrolments—725,000—and more than 210,000 course completions. The Minister for Housing will be pleased to know that construction courses are now the third most popular type of free TAFE courses, with more than 59,000 enrolments, people going on to build the houses …
date: 2025-11-25T14:58:00+00:00

Communications, the Arts and Sport Committee; Reference | Committees | House debates
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description: I move: That the debate be adjourned.
encoded: I move: That the debate be adjourned.
date: 2025-11-05T16:36:00+00:00

Customs Tariff Amendment (Geelong Treaty Implementation) Bill 2025; Third Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
encoded: by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
date: 2025-11-05T16:18:00+00:00

Vocational Education and Training | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: I want to thank my friend the member for Boothby for her question and, more particularly, for the work that she's doing in the community she represents so well in Adelaide. She has spent her...
encoded: I want to thank my friend the member for Boothby for her question and, more particularly, for the work that she's doing in the community she represents so well in Adelaide. She has spent her career backing people in, and she brings that here with enthusiasm. While those opposite are divided—now more than ever if what I keep reading in the Financial Review is to be believed—this Albanese government is getting on with it and breaking down the barriers that have been holding Australians back. It's 12 months to the day since Labor announced we would cut student debt by 20 per cent and six months to the day since Australians backed us in at the May election, because there are three million Australians who have a student debt, including over 280,000 who have VET student loans or Australian apprenticeship support loan accounts. On the average VET loan, this is a saving of more than $2,000. This is real cost-of-living relief, right now. While it's easy to focus on these numbers, because they are important, behind them are stories of Australians who are just trying to get ahead and make a contribution. I think about students like Jennifer from CIT, who I met with the Prime Minister here. She'll have $8,000 slashed from her debt. She says to me that it's a huge weight off her shoulders and now she can focus on finishing off her studies. And then there's Ralph, who's studying for a Diploma of Nursing. He'll save $3,000, thanks to this Albanese Labor government. And, of course, we haven't stopped here. We've reduced the amount that Australians with a student debt have to pay every year and raised the threshold when people need to start repaying. We've also made free TAFE into law, following 685,000 enrolments and more than 190,000 completions. These are measures delivering cost-of-living support now, while helping Australians secure the future. Something these three measures have in common is that they were all opposed by members on the other side of the House. It could be the …
date: 2025-11-03T15:05:00+00:00

VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Today, I introduce the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025. The bill ensures that VET Student Loans (VSL) providers were...
encoded: I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Today, I introduce the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025. The bill ensures that VET Student Loans (VSL) providers were authorised to handle students' tax file numbers (TFNs) to administer the VET Student Loans program. The VET Student Loans Act 2016 (VSL Act) governs both the eligibility criteria for students seeking a loan and the requirements that providers must meet, to participate in the program. Students are required—under the VSL Act—to provide their tax file number (TFN) when submitting a loan application, as repayments are made through the tax system. The TFN is essential to ensure the student's loan application details align with their Australian Taxation Office account. During a review of how VET student loans are administered, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations identified that there was no clear role for VSL providers to handle tax file numbers under the VSL Act and stronger alignment between relevant IT systems and legislation was required. We have taken action to fix this. Since early 2025, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has implemented updates to the IT systems to mask VSL students' tax file numbers and automate the transfer of tax file numbers between the student interface and government systems. So now VSL providers no longer need to handle tax file numbers. This bill includes a retrospective measure to authorise VSL providers' past handling of student tax file numbers (TFNs) for the purpose of administering loan applications and VET student loans. It also authorises the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations' previous disclosure of tax file numbers to providers for the same purpose. The measure applies to all current and former VSL providers and their officers who handled tax file numbers from 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2025. It also extends to other relevant parties, including the secretary of the department, the Commissioner o…
date: 2025-10-29T09:21:00+00:00

Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Financial Systems and Other Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: It does.
encoded: It does.
date: 2025-10-08T16:38:00+00:00

Vocational Education and Training | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: I thank my friend the member for Aston for her question. Like all of us on this side of the House, she understands how critical it is that Australia makes the most of the opportunities of net...
encoded: I thank my friend the member for Aston for her question. Like all of us on this side of the House, she understands how critical it is that Australia makes the most of the opportunities of net zero and in particular the opportunities to upskill and work in the clean energy economy. The Albanese government has had a clear focus on delivering opportunities for Australians, for communities and for the economy and on how we can ensure that Australians in every corner of the country can access the skills they want for the jobs we need in our growing clean energy sector. Of course, this includes our fantastic New Energy Apprenticeships Program, a program which has already seen more than 13,000 people pick up the tools and begin their path to become tradies in new energy, with the help of $10,000 incentive payments over the course of their apprenticeship to help with the cost of living now and to help with completing their qualifications. These thousands of tradies will ensure our renewable energy infrastructure can be built, maintained and sustained to service Australia well into the future in automotive trades, in plumbing and in electrical trades—training Australians to build our future. So far, the program has seen a retention rate, at the 12-month mark, of 85 per cent, making a real difference and opening doors of opportunity to pre-apprenticeship students like Jaz and Sayed, who I met in Box Hill TAFE with the member for Menzies and who are benefiting from free TAFE, and to students in communities like Gippsland, where I met Siobhan, a qualified electrician blazing a trail for others— in Gippsland, Member for Gippsland. We know that the Leader of the Opposition thinks that if you don't pay for something you don't value it. That's her track record on free TAFE. But, fortunately, she does back net zero by 2050, or she did. The Leader of the Opposition said only a few years ago, 'I think the net zero by 2050 aim is perfect.' 'Perfect', she said, but not to those sitting …
date: 2025-10-08T14:35:00+00:00

Address-in-Reply | Governor-General's Speech | House debates
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description: On 3 May the opposition sought to harness pessimism and cynicism in a path to power that was without purpose. But people in the Scullin electorate saw through this, as did Australians right...
encoded: On 3 May the opposition sought to harness pessimism and cynicism in a path to power that was without purpose. But people in the Scullin electorate saw through this, as did Australians right around our country. They recognised the leadership of our prime minister—his record, his character—and our plans to bring out the very best for our nation and every one of its citizens. They noticed that Labor listened, and not just to the loudest voices. They noticed that we understood the need to both keep responding to urgent cost-of-living pressures in the short term and offer hope for the future beyond that. They noticed that we were serious about the challenges holding back Australians doing it tough and about realising those wonderful opportunities that lie before us. They noticed that we had prepared a policy agenda anchored in this appreciation—policies fit for purpose for the needs of Australians now and as we look to the future. I begin my contribution by thanking the voters of the Scullin electorate for again placing their trust in me and in the Albanese Labor government. It is an incredible honour to have been elected for a fifth time, and of course, more importantly, there is the responsibility and obligation to represent, advocate for, contribute to and deliver for the people of the Scullin electorate. This is my focus as a very proud member of our re-elected Albanese Labor government—a government whose ethos of leaving no-one behind and holding no-one back resonated so strongly from the very start with the people of Scullin across its length and breadth, in all its wonderful diversity. I recognise in saying that that I now have the privilege of representing a number of communities which are new to the electorate: parts of Campbellfield, more of Wollert and a little slice of Fawkner. So I was particularly pleased to form relationships and begin an understanding of those communities, which I look forward to representing in this, the 48th Parliament. But, of course, …
date: 2025-08-28T12:03:00+00:00

National Skills Week | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
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description: I move: That further statements on National Skills Week be permitted in the Federation Chamber. Question agreed to.
encoded: I move: That further statements on National Skills Week be permitted in the Federation Chamber. Question agreed to.
date: 2025-08-27T09:22:00+00:00

National Skills Week | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
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description: I rise today to mark National Skills Week, an important occasion to celebrate vocational education and training in our country and, with it, the incredible diversity of pathways that it offers to...
encoded: I rise today to mark National Skills Week, an important occasion to celebrate vocational education and training in our country and, with it, the incredible diversity of pathways that it offers to enable Australians to explore all options, as is this year's theme, and to support them to gain the qualifications they want as they skill or reskill to secure good, well-paid, long-term jobs and great careers, to set them up for the future and to help improve our productivity and grow our economy. As the skills and training minister, I have the great honour to meet VET students and apprentices every week, including at TAFEs, right around the country. The Albanese government is working hard to put TAFE at the centre of the VET system. At TAFE, what we see is this: students that represent as wide a snapshot of Australia as you will find anywhere and, in that diversity, some great connections and sharing of experience; staff that are the biggest advocates going for the opportunity that TAFE provides and who have industry experience and are brimming with excitement for the opportunities that their students will have with the qualifications that they will gain; and facilities that are getting better all the time to meet the aspirations of learners and the evolving needs of our industries. At TAFE campuses you see such a breadth of learning occurring side by side—community services next to IT, next to auto mechanics, next to agriculture. That's part of what makes our TAFEs so special. It's through free TAFE that I met Caitlin, a nursing student studying in Canberra. Caitlin's a Navy veteran, a single mum and, above all, a brilliant role model for fellow students and others who might be considering taking up a VET pathway. Caitlin's one of the 650,000 enrolments in free TAFE courses since the program started in 2023. By year's end, she will be joining the 170,000 course completions. Stories like Caitlin's underscore how life-changing free TAFE is for thousands of Australians, and…
date: 2025-08-27T09:01:00+00:00

Apprenticeships | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: I thank my friend the member for Hasluck for her question, and I recognise her deep commitment to the people she represents so well in this place, particularly in ensuring that they can get the...
encoded: I thank my friend the member for Hasluck for her question, and I recognise her deep commitment to the people she represents so well in this place, particularly in ensuring that they can get the skills they want to do the jobs that we need. In the Albanese Labor government, we are building Australia's future and boosting the workforce we need to deliver it so that we can deliver on our national priorities. But, when we came to government just over three years ago, Australia was facing the worst skills crisis in more than half a century. This didn't come about by accident; it followed a decade of neglect from those opposite, underlined by their failure to land a national skills agreement in a decade and by billions of dollars in cuts. Apprenticeship numbers fell away. It's very clear that they still haven't learnt. It was in this House that the now leader of the opposition, in opposing the Free TAFE Bill, said: … if you don't pay for something, you don't value it. The more than 47,000 free-TAFE students in construction courses demonstrate that Australians disagree. On this side of the House, we're backing the next generation of tradies. We've upped the living-away-from-home allowance for the first time in 20 years, and we've doubled the amount we provide to employers to take on an apprentice living with a disability. The most recent data shows us that construction industry apprenticeships are up 11 per cent compared to pre the pandemic, but we are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to boosting apprenticeships so we can build more homes for Australians. That's why we are supporting new housing construction apprentices and tradies through $10,000 incentives, and we're already seeing promising results after just a month. We know these incentives, which are also really important cost-of-living relief, are encouraging more Australians to pick up the tools and to become tradies—to gain skills, make a contribution and build a career. I think about people like Blake and …
date: 2025-08-25T14:34:00+00:00

Scullin Volunteer Awards, Tertiary Education | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: Last month, I had the very great honour of bringing together some of the incredible community members in the Scullin electorate at my annual Scullin Volunteer Awards, paying tribute to nearly 50...
encoded: Last month, I had the very great honour of bringing together some of the incredible community members in the Scullin electorate at my annual Scullin Volunteer Awards, paying tribute to nearly 50 volunteers—people like Mabruka Mohamed, the co-founder and the President of the Libyan Women's Association, someone who's dedicated over a decade to service and advocacy as a volunteer for a significant emerging community group in the northern suburbs. Ms Mohamed is strengthening cultural connections and health education. She's someone who's doing so much to build a stronger and better-connected community. I'm so proud of so many people like her amongst the diverse communities, the sporting clubs, the scouting groups, the neighbourhood houses and the social enterprises in the Scullin electorate. There are groups like the Lalor & District Men's Shed, the Mill Park Football Club and Whittlesea Community Connections—the lifeblood of a diverse and united community. Across all of these groups there are so many dedicated and passionate volunteers who turn up week after week, never seeking recognition for themselves but contributing to making the suburbs of the Scullin electorate such a special community. In this place, Australia's parliament, I want to say a big thankyou to every volunteer in the electorate of Scullin. You do so much for so many. I want to encourage others to think about the contribution they can make in their communities but also to give a shout-out to those who they see around them making a difference for others. Earlier this month I had the opportunity to take a look at the progress being made in the construction of the Epping study hub with my friend the member for Calwell. The northern study hubs in Epping and Broadmeadows will transform the lives of people in the northern suburbs, and I'm incredibly optimistic for the contribution this will make for the future of our communities. In Labor, where you live should never be a barrier to completing a tertiary qua…
date: 2025-07-31T10:20:00+00:00

Universities Accord (Cutting Student Debt by 20 Per Cent) Bill 2025 | Statements | House debates
type: item
description: 'A huge weight off my shoulders', 'opening up new opportunities', 'every penny helps my savings'—now, these aren't my words; they are the words of some TAFE students who joined me recently...
encoded: 'A huge weight off my shoulders', 'opening up new opportunities', 'every penny helps my savings'—now, these aren't my words; they are the words of some TAFE students who joined me recently to talk to me about what student debt relief means to them. This is real cost-of-living support, helping students with those week-to-week costs and helping them save for the rent, a home deposit or whatever it is that is their dream. But, beyond that, this is something that is continuing to break down barriers. Through this measure, through this bill, the Albanese government is sending a really strong signal to Australians, particularly but not only young people, so that everyone can see that accessing education and training is possible, that pursuing a new career needn't be only a dream but is something that can be tangibly reached. In our first term, the Albanese government wiped $3 billion of student debt through changes to indexation, putting this money back into the pockets of students and apprentices right around the country. We listened to students, who were telling us that cutting student debt made a real difference to their lives. So we didn't stop there. Last year, in Sturt, the Prime Minister announced that a re-elected Albanese government would introduce as our first piece of legislation a 20 per cent cut to student debt for students in universities and for students in the VET sector, too. We listened to students, and now we are delivering. I want to recognise the fantastic work of my friend Minister Clare, the Minister for Education—the work he's done to put this bill before the House, to show that we are delivering to those students and to thousands like them right around the country. This is of course the first bill presented to the parliament by the re-elected Albanese government. The bill also underscores our government's commitment to making tertiary education more accessible. This is a wide-ranging commitment, of course, because it sits alongside measures such a…
date: 2025-07-29T13:09:00+00:00

Vocational Education and Training | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: I thank my friend the member for Barton for her question, and I congratulate her on a really excellent first speech, the start of many great contributions for her community and in the national...
encoded: I thank my friend the member for Barton for her question, and I congratulate her on a really excellent first speech, the start of many great contributions for her community and in the national interest. It was also fantastic to join her just a few weeks ago at the St George Kogarah TAFE. We met there with some free TAFE students studying aged care and nursing, including some nursing students benefitting from our government's paid prac that began on 1 July. Free TAFE and paid prac—just two examples of how the Albanese Labor government is delivering for Australians and for young Australians in particular, supporting them to get the skills that they want for the jobs that we need done and supporting them to get ahead with real cost-of-living relief as well. We know that for VET students and apprentices, just like students at university, cutting student debt will make a real difference, including for those students that the Prime Minister, the Minister for Education and I met with yesterday from CIT here in Canberra, like Jennifer, who has both a HECS debt and a VET debt. Jennifer will save $8,000, which will help set her up for her new career. Ralph, a diploma of nursing student, will save $3,000 because of our student debt relief, which will help him save and prepare to pursue further study to become a registered nurse like a couple of my colleagues in this place here. These are just some of the thousands of stories that we've heard since we announced our 20 per cent cut from student debt. Three million Australians will benefit from this, including the better part of 300,000 apprentices and TAFE students. In the Albanese government, we are supporting every student and every apprentice to gain new skills to pursue new opportunities and to secure good jobs. To that end, free TAFE has now seen more than 650,000 enrolments and already 170,000 completions. But we know that not everyone in this place supports free TAFE. The Liberals and the Nationals voted no to free TAFE, …
date: 2025-07-24T14:49:00+00:00