Zhi Soon (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In my first speech to the House, I spoke about my passion for education policy and ensuring that all students have access to the opportunities that a quality education affords. This is why I was so pleased to hear the update from the Minister for Education in the House last week that confirmed this government's education policies are making a difference for students across our country, including in my electorate of Banks. As the minister laid out, for the first time in years the number of students completing high school is going back up. This improvement hasn't been driven by growth in just one area; it is across the board. Regardless of gender or whether they study at a public, independent or Catholic school, more students are completing year 12.

As the minister noted last week, finishing high school is more important than ever. This is not just for the individual but for the Australian economy as well. As the Australian Universities Accord report notes, in order to meet the demand for skills in the years ahead, the proportion of people in the workforce who hold a certificate, a diploma or a degree needs to rise to about 80 per cent, meaning finishing high school is just the first step.

In my electorate of Banks, I hear from so many parents who tell me that they want their children to receive a quality education and access all the opportunity that comes with it. The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is this government's answer, with the biggest ever new investment in our schools by an Australian government, tied to genuine reforms of teaching practice and complementing programs like the Schools Upgrade Fund, which supported nine schools in my electorate of Banks.

It should be noted that, when this Labor government came to office, each of these metrics—year 12 completion, school attendance and teacher shortages—had been getting consistently worse. They were the all too predictable consequences of the former Liberal government ripping $30 billion out of public education. But this Labor government is turning the corner. With rising school attendance, rising year 12 completion, more schoolteachers and more people enrolling to become teachers, parents in my electorate know they have a government that believes in the power of education and that is making the important investments needed so that every student across the country, including in Banks, can realise their full potential.

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