Renee Coffey (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also want to thank the member for Curtin for raising this matter of public importance. My electorate of Griffith is diverse, it's vibrant and it's young. In fact, Griffith has more millennials and gen Zs than both the Queensland and Australian average, with a median age of just 34. Almost half the residents in Griffith are renters, far above the state and national figures. Over months of campaigning, I doorknocked close to 15,000 homes, and I hosted countless mobile offices, 'coffee with Coffey' sessions and free community food trucks. I also spent a lot of time in our local schools and our local educational institutions. I heard time and again from young people that they are struggling with cost-of-living pressures. They are paying rising rents, they are carrying student debt, and they're trying to save for a first home—all while managing the everyday costs of life.

Now, as their representative, I have the privilege of standing in this place and ensuring that their voices—the voices of young people in Griffith—are heard. After a decade of coalition neglect, young Australians face greater challenges than the generations that came before them. Housing is harder to access, wages stagnant, student debt has is soaring and the cost of living is biting harder every day.

That is why I am proud to be part of the Albanese Labor government, a government that is delivering real, practical relief to young people. We are making education more affordable. Over 31,000 students and graduates across Griffith are already benefiting from HECS relief. Indexation is now capped so debt never grows faster than wages, and we are cutting debts by 20 per cent, lifting repayment thresholds and lowering repayment rates. This means young people can plan their futures without being held back by the looming student debt. We are also delivering the new Commonwealth prac payment so teachers, nurses, midwives and social workers can be supported whilst on their placements. With more study hubs across outer suburbs and regions, young Australians can study closer to home and at lower cost. We're investing in free TAFE, with 600,000 places already delivered and more to come.

This government is tackling the cost of living head on. Inflation is at a four-year low, wages are growing again and interest rates have been cut three times in six months. More than 1.1 million jobs have been created, a record for any government in a single term. This benefits all Australians, including our younger Australians. We're delivering practical support: increases to the minimum wage and the superannuation guarantee, energy bill relief for households, tax cuts already delivered—with more to come—and support for apprentices entering the housing and construction industry.

In Griffith, with nearly half the electorate renting, housing is absolutely front of mind. That's why our government is investing $33 billion in housing and supporting first home buyers with a five per cent deposit scheme with no lenders mortgage insurance. We know this will make a real difference to young people living in the electorate of Griffith and across Australia. These initiatives will help more young people buy a home, and we have also delivered the largest increase in Commonwealth rent assistance.

The Albanese Labor government is committed to reducing intergenerational inequality. We're creating a fairer tax system, providing relief for student debt, investing in housing, delivering free TAFE and ensuring that wages are growing again. In short, we are backing young people every step of the way, because they are not just the future of this country; they are its present. And, in Griffith, with one of the youngest populations in the nation, that commitment means everything.

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