Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Higher education is an important part of the Australian way of life, and the federal Labor government have been looking at how we can improve our system. This is incredibly important, because we want to make sure that all Australians can achieve their full potential. We have done extensive consultation with the universities, with the Universities Accord, and we've been looking at systematically working through this to make sure that all students can achieve their full potential. One of the things that we've been looking at is the issues of First Nations students. Under the previous government, First Nations students only had access to places if they were based in regional areas. The truth is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are all across Australia. We want to make sure that they have access to university places irrespective of whether they're in metropolitan Perth or out in Broome. We want to make sure that they have access to places, so one of the parts of this legislation that we've changed is making sure that they have access to these places.

In my home community of Swan, we have the Rotary Residential College, which attracts students from all across WA, including regional WA. These students come to Perth, they study high school, they get embedded in their community and they create these community links. Often these students will decide to pursue higher education in Perth—hopefully at Curtin University, which is in my electorate of Swan. When they're already embedded in the community, it makes sense that they should have access to these university places. I think that is really important. The Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023 is legislation which increases accessibility and makes sure we have the opportunity to unlock the full potential of these students. I see higher education as a ticket to a good start. Whether it's with a vocational qualification or a university education, I want to make sure all Australians can achieve their full potential. That's exactly what we're trying to achieve.

With this review, we wanted to do extensive consultation to make sure that we fully understood the various views in the sector. We wanted to go through a methodical process to ensure that we understood the different perspectives from across the sector. I see this bill as a significant step in the right direction. I'm proud that this government did not draft this legislation in isolation. This government will continue in this way, because we are a government that listens and that acts. The recommendations garnered substantial support from stakeholders in the tertiary sector, including the University of Technology Sydney, Western Sydney University, Charles Darwin University and Griffith University.

Another pivotal recommendation borne out of the accord's review and supported extensively by the higher education sector is the extension of demand-driven Commonwealth supported places to all First Nations students. This is an example of making sure that we're unlocking all of the opportunities for all students, which the Albanese Labor government is incredibly passionate about. We have to strengthen the support available to students and make sure that they can achieve their full potential. Our workforce depends on this, and our nation relies on their skills and knowledge. In our rapidly changing economic landscape, we need students that can adapt to our country's evolving needs. We need to have a look at the future skills that are required for the country and work in partnership with the universities. This is one of the reasons why we had the Jobs and Skills Summit. We wanted to bring universities, businesses, community and the public together to look at different ways that we can futureproof our nation and make sure that we're achieving the things that we need to do, whether that be in the healthcare economy or related to STEM needs.

We need to make sure we have an Australia that is fit for purpose for the future, and that requires us thinking about what skills we need today. We need these skills to make sure that we teach, inspire and contribute to our communities in ways that will yield benefits for years to come. The thing that I'm confident about with this Albanese Labor government is that we're not just looking at tomorrow, we're looking at the future longevity of positive change for the nation, and that's what investment in our university system does.

Also, diversity in our workforce is needed, which is one of the reasons why we need to make sure we increase the number of people who have access to university education. When we have diversity with our graduates from university, we'll have diversity in our workforce. And when you have diversity in your workforce, it leads to better outcomes. We see this with boards that have women on them. Women on boards result in better economic outcomes, and we see this being proved time and time again. All of this starts with sowing the seeds at university.

We need to make sure that university education is equitable for all Australians regardless of where they reside. My parents did not get to go to university. My dad dropped out of his high school when he was probably 14 or 15. He ended up going to trade school. My parents wanted to come to Australia because they believed in a country that wants to invest in their people and believes in a better education. This is often the belief of many migrant families who want to see their children achieve their full potential. But we need to make sure we widen the door so that more people have access to this.

I'm very grateful that our education system has served me well as these are opportunities that I might not otherwise have had, and this is a wish that I have for all Australians. This is why I wholeheartedly commend this bill to the House. I see it as a significant step forward in securing a brighter and more inclusive future for our nation.

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