Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

As students, families and teachers return to school for the new school year, I want to recognise the hard work that's happening in every classroom and every staff room around Australia, from Bourke Street Public School in my electorate all the way over to Grovelands in Perth. Education is deeply personal to me. My parents came here as refugees after the Second World War. They didn't have anything. They didn't even have much English language. Every opportunity I and my brothers have had was because of the excellent education that we received through the public education system here and the opportunities that opened up to us, and I want every single child to have those same opportunities.

That's why, when the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments cut public school funding, we voted against it and we promised to fix it, and indeed I'm proud that we have. Our government is continuing the historic work of ensuring that every public school is fully funded, with investment tied to evidence based reforms. The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement will deliver substantial Commonwealth investment over the coming decade, lifting student outcomes and closing the equity gaps that hold too many children back. That means literacy and numeracy checks in year 1, targeted interventions like small-group and catch-up tutoring, stronger mental health programs, and support for teacher development and retention.

We've taken world-leading action to tackle online harms via our social media ban for children under the age of 16 and introduced restrictions on predatory technologies like nudify apps and undetectable stalking tools. These reforms put children's safety first, and they follow bans on phones in schools during school hours, which teachers and parents—and kids—will tell you mean that more kids are playing and talking to each other in the playground and fewer of them are scrolling at lunchtime.

We know that too many parents are worried about bullying and too many children are still being harmed by bullying, and that's why we've asked schools to act faster. The Anti-Bullying Rapid Review will push schools to respond within two days to a complaint or an incident of bullying. Teachers and parents have also told us that they need the right tools and training, so we're investing $10 million into antibullying resources.

This year also marks extraordinary progress in early childhood education, backed by a $5 billion investment. Australian children are now eligible for three days of subsidised early education and care—an extra 100,000 families in which parents will be returning to work and supporting those children. There are also pay increases of up to 15 per cent for early education workers. We've got free TAFE and university debt relief as well.

So, in every area of education, we're making sure that Australians have the opportunities to get a great start in life.

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