Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

In communities right across Perth's south-eastern suburbs, families are working hard every day to give their kids the best possible start in life. The Albanese government's No. 1 priority is delivering cost-of-living relief to communities like ours. We're working to set Australia up for the long-term. We're strengthening Medicare, investing in education and helping people get into their own homes. Our government is focused on the here and now for every Australian while setting us up for a better future. We are focused on what's good for the wellbeing of families, our local economy and our nation. We're building a better Burt, changing the story of our community for the better. And that starts at the beginning. Many parents tell me the same thing. They want to work. They want their kids to benefit from early learning. But child care needs to be affordable, accessible and available close to home.

That's why the Australian Labor Party is delivering real reforms to strengthen early childhood education and care. First, we've introduced the three-day guarantee, ensuring that every child can access funding for at least three days of subsidised early childhood education and care each week. In growing communities like Byford, across the city of Armadale and the city of Gosnells, where so many young families are moving in, this is making a massive difference.

I don't want to see any more parents needing to contend with mountains of paperwork or being in the situation where they're weighing up whether they can afford to go back to work or study after having kids. Our increases in the childcare subsidy, pay improvements for childcare workers and three-day guarantee are all about making, accessing and affording child care easier for families. This means more children being able to access early learning, for all the educational and social outcomes that brings. And I want to see parents getting back into the workforce, because it's good for our local economy, too. It's great for career progression and for their family incomes as well.

This guarantee means more certainty for families and a better start for children across our community. We're enabling that with long-overdue pay rises for early childhood educators. Anyone who has spent time in a childcare centre knows how dedicated these workers are. They help our children to learn, to build confidence, to develop the skills they need before they even step into primary school. But, for too long, these educators have been underpaid for the critical work they do. I'm proud to be part of a government that has turned that around. We're recognising the value of early childhood educators, helping keep them in the workforce for longer and attracting new workers into this vital profession.

Early childhood education isn't just child care; it is nation building. It supports parents who want to work, it strengthens our local economy and, most importantly, it gives every child the best possible start in life. That's exactly what families in Burt deserve, because when we invest in our children we invest in the future of our community. Education is one of the most powerful investments a country can make in its future. Every child deserves the chance to succeed, no matter where they live, what their background is or what school they go to. That's why fully funding our public schools matters so much, especially in communities in Perth's south-eastern suburbs. Across our electorate, thousands of students attend local public schools. They're learning. They're growing and building the skills that will shape the future of our community.

But, for too long, public schools across Australia have not been funded to the level that they should have been. That means teachers have been working harder with fewer resources. It means schools have been trying to stretch budgets to support students who might need some extra help. And it means families have been worrying about whether their kids are getting the support they deserve. And that's not just support in the classroom. Many of the schools in my communities also offer and run breakfast clubs to make sure kids can rely on a good meal every morning.

Fully funding public schools is about changing that. It means making sure every school has the resources it needs to support our students to thrive. It means smaller classes, more support staff and the programs that help children who might otherwise fall behind. In communities like Burt, where our community is incredibly diverse and where many families rely on a strong public education system, this investment is making a real difference. It means extra support for students who are learning English. It means help for kids who have additional learning needs. It means making sure teachers can focus on what they do best: teaching and inspiring our young people.

Schools are right at the heart of our community. They're where friendships are formed and talents are discovered. Over the almost 10 years that I've been proud to represent the community of Burt in our nation's parliament, I've visited schools across our community. I've visited classrooms all across Perth's south-east and met with teachers, principals, parents and of course students. What I see time and time again is dedication—teachers who go above and beyond every single day for their students and, in fact, for the whole school community, doing what they do best in the classroom, of course, but with so many other things as well, like robotics competitions, sports programs, music, programs for parents and the bravery to try something new.

But dedication alone shouldn't have to fill the funding gap. That's why fully funding our public schools is so important. It ensures that the commitment of our teachers is matched by the resources that they need to do their jobs. I'm proud to be part of a federal Labor government that's working hand in hand with the WA Labor government to fund public schools with $1.6 billion of additional funding over 10 years. That means that every child in Burt going to a public school who walked through the gates for the first day of school this year was in a fully funded school. WA led the way, signing on to the better and fairer schools funding agreement, and now every state and territory has followed.

When we invest in public education, we're investing in the future of our entire community, our entire nation. We're investing in the next generation of apprentices, nurses, teachers, engineers, small business owners and community leaders who will shape the future. We are encouraging more people to get into construction apprenticeships as well, with a $10,000 incentive payment, and we've of course been providing free TAFE. We're backing that in with the new Armadale University Study Hub so that distance is no longer a barrier to our community getting a uni education, should they want one. We're making sure that every child and every young person, no matter their circumstances, has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

But, in making sure we're setting up a person to reach that potential, we need to make sure that they also have a stable roof over their heads. One of the biggest challenges facing Australians right now is housing. For too many people, finding a safe, secure and affordable place to live has become harder than it should be. That's something that we are determined to change. Housing is a life-defining challenge for too many Australians. Housing isn't just about buildings. It's about stability, it's about dignity, and it's about making sure people have the foundation they need to build a good life. That's why our government created the Housing Australia Future Fund, the single biggest investment in social and affordable housing in more than a decade.

Importantly, those investments are happening in our community. In Kelmscott and in Byford, the Housing Australia Future Fund will deliver new social and affordable homes for people who need them most, including women and children escaping family and domestic violence, older women at risk of homelessness and low-income families doing it tough. These homes will provide not just a roof over someone's head but the security and stability that comes with knowing you have somewhere safe to call home. For our community in Burt, this matters enormously. We know that housing pressures have been felt across Perth's south-east. Families are feeling the squeeze. Rents have risen sharply, and community organisations are seeing more and more people needing help. That's why we've taken action, not just with one program but with a comprehensive housing agenda designed to boost supply and help people get into homes sooner.

Through the Housing Australia Future Fund, we're delivering 30,000 new social and affordable homes across the country. We're also delivering thousands of additional homes through the Social Housing Accelerator and other programs, working with states, territories and community housing providers. But we know building homes takes time, so we're also acting to support renters and first home buyers. We've increased Commonwealth rental assistance by around 50 per cent for people who need help the most, and we've expanded the Help to Buy scheme to help more Australians purchase their first home. And, of course, we have our five per cent deposit scheme as well. We're working with states and territories to unlock land and accelerate construction so that more homes can be built where people want to live. The solution to Australia's housing challenge is clear. It is about supply. We need to build more homes. We need to make sure that the homes we build include social and affordable housing so that everyone has a place in our communities.

The investments we're seeing across the south-eastern suburbs of Perth are a really important part of that. They're about making sure people in our community are not left behind. They're about strengthening our local community. They're about ensuring that people who need support the most have a safe place to live.

Housing security should never be out of reach, nor should a good education. We're investing in early childhood, school, TAFE and university education, as well as housing in our community, because it's only by setting up that strong foundation that we'll change the story of our community—a strong foundation to build a better Burt.

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