Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank my friend the member for Boothby for her question and, more particularly, for the work that she's doing in the community she represents so well in Adelaide. She has spent her career backing people in, and she brings that here with enthusiasm.

While those opposite are divided—now more than ever if what I keep reading in the Financial Review is to be believed—this Albanese government is getting on with it and breaking down the barriers that have been holding Australians back. It's 12 months to the day since Labor announced we would cut student debt by 20 per cent and six months to the day since Australians backed us in at the May election, because there are three million Australians who have a student debt, including over 280,000 who have VET student loans or Australian apprenticeship support loan accounts. On the average VET loan, this is a saving of more than $2,000. This is real cost-of-living relief, right now.

While it's easy to focus on these numbers, because they are important, behind them are stories of Australians who are just trying to get ahead and make a contribution. I think about students like Jennifer from CIT, who I met with the Prime Minister here. She'll have $8,000 slashed from her debt. She says to me that it's a huge weight off her shoulders and now she can focus on finishing off her studies. And then there's Ralph, who's studying for a Diploma of Nursing. He'll save $3,000, thanks to this Albanese Labor government.

And, of course, we haven't stopped here. We've reduced the amount that Australians with a student debt have to pay every year and raised the threshold when people need to start repaying. We've also made free TAFE into law, following 685,000 enrolments and more than 190,000 completions. These are measures delivering cost-of-living support now, while helping Australians secure the future.

Something these three measures have in common is that they were all opposed by members on the other side of the House. It could be the last time that they will be on a unity ticket. The only thing members opposite can agree on is what they will oppose, not what they will do for Australians, while, on this side of the House, we're easing cost-of-living pressures for students to gain skills they want, for jobs we need now and into the future, building their careers while building the homes Australians need, and enabling our clean energy aspirations, because all of us in the Albanese government back Australians to get skills they want in the jobs they need. So, while the Liberals and the Nationals are obsessed with their internal arguments over net zero, they've got 'net zero' to say when it comes to skilling Australians for the jobs of the future. They are arguing amongst themselves while we are focusing on the Australian people. We'll get on with delivering for people, while they will continue to be consumed by denial, division and dysfunction.

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