Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government promised that cutting student debt would be the first thing we would do, and that's exactly what we've done. The Universities Accord (Cutting Student Debt by 20 Per Cent) Bill delivers on our commitment to reduce student debt by 20 per cent. This measure will take pressure off around 21,000 residents in my electorate of Bonner. The average student debt today is about $27,600. This legislation will cut that debt by about $5½ thousand. This will deliver significant cost-of-living relief to those with student debt in Bonner. It also builds on the significant reforms the Albanese government is already implementing in education, including free TAFE. I am so proud to have the Mount Gravatt TAFE in my electorate and am equally as proud of this government's commitment to providing relief for students and young people while continuing to protect the integrity and value of the HELP system, which has expanded higher education access for millions of Australians, including myself. I am so proud that this is the first legislation for this parliament, and I won't forget the thousands of students I spoke to in Bonner during the campaign who told me that this policy was a key reason they were voting Labor. We will continue to deliver for them.

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