Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It has been such a significant week for us Labor people as we have celebrated the life and leadership of Gough Whitlam. Gough Whitlam was an enormous visionary, and we have heard over the last week such important statements of that on both sides of the House—of this big man, this big thinker who brought big ideas into this parliament. Gough Whitlam spent a decades-long career in this parliament fighting for a fair go, for the right of all Australian children to have the best quality health care and, most importantly, to have access to education.

Since that time, education and access to education has become an article of faith for Labor. Labor leader after Labor leader after Labor leader has fought for the right of every Australian child to have the opportunity to get the best education. We saw under the Hawke and Keating governments year 12 retention rates go from about 45 per cent of all young people in this country to 77 per cent—one of the great unsung achievements of that government. And every leader since then has joined this fight. We do today in this same tradition.

Mr Ewen Jones interjecting—

I have spoken a little bit about Gough Whitlam, and we know it was a very different Australia that he was the leader of.

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