Matt Gregg (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like many in my community I was thrilled when the Treasury announced the Economic Reform Roundtable. Tackling the big issues on resilience, productivity and budget sustainability is important to our country's future, and these decisions will impact communities right around the country, including in my own community in Deakin. That's why, ahead of the Economic Reform Roundtable last week, I brought together a group of business and union leaders, care-economy organisations, and education providers from around Deakin to talk about economic challenges and solutions for our community. Thanks to my friend the assistant Treasurer for coming along and chairing our discussion. We had people from construction, manufacturing, healthcare, childcare, aged-care, commercial property, and peak union and business bodies around the table. While you're never going to get agreement on everything, we found great common ground on the need to make sure our young people have a better understanding of all the options in front of them.

Of course, university remains a pathway to a number of interesting and rewarding careers, and our government's very first piece of legislation after the election was an act to help students with a 20 per cent reduction in their HECS debts. But university is not the only path available. By going through a TAFE you open the door to a number of rewarding careers as well. Free TAFE courses are supporting hundreds of thousands of Australians to get the skills and knowledge they need for a great career.

Everyone around our Deakin economic roundtable agreed that we need to make sure students are getting into the courses not only by default or as a backstop option but via an informed choice, with a full understanding of the opportunities in our economy, including in construction and manufacturing. All of us in this place have a role in articulating our support for Australian manufacturing and the amazing innovation and jobs in that sector and making sure career counsellors and parents are fully informed of the options available and overcome the prejudices that can sometimes exist around some industries, including manufacturing. We need to make sure we have a full appreciation of what modern careers look like in modern sectors.

Thank you again to the Assistant Treasurer for facilitating what was a great discussion. And thank you to the leaders from across Deakin who are working hard every day to create economic opportunity for people in Melbourne's east.

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