Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

It's not every day that you have the Treasurer come to your year 12 commerce and economics class, but that's exactly what the kids at Ballarat High School were treated to last month when the Treasurer came to town. It was a highlight of the Treasurer's visit to see the engagement of the students and the questions that they asked, whether on issues around the cost of living, economic reform, the state of the nation, global politics more generally or issues around leadership. It was a really amazing thing to watch that interaction.

I'm very proud to be part of a government that is working so hard to reduce pressures on Australian families, including through our energy relief, cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, cracking down on unfair credit-card charges and unfair debit-card charges, and our TAFE and university reforms just announced over the weekend: cutting student debt by 20 per cent and making fee-free TAFE a permanent feature of the system. For those year 12 students, as they're contemplating what they are going to do, that is an absolute game changer. We know that there is always more to do. But can I thank very much the students and teachers at Ballarat High School who helped to make the Treasurer's visit such a worthwhile one for all of us.

Of course, this Saturday, 9 November, the Ballarat Indian community will be coming together to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. This will be the 15th time that the Ballarat Indian Association have organised Diwali, and every year they go from strength to strength. Last year, around 750 members of our local community joined in the festivities, celebrating the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and the wonderful diversity that makes up so much of our modern Ballarat. Events like Diwali show Ballarat at our best, with people from all across the region celebrating together, sharing a meal, sharing their cultures and sharing their experiences. I want to say well done to the Ballarat Indian Association for the great work you do bringing us together, and I hope it will be a successful event on the weekend.

This week in parliament we celebrated a very important occasion, the Stronger Medicare Awards. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Medicare, and these awards exist to pay tribute to the people and the practices that have made a significant contribution to Australia's primary care sector. At the awards, I was particularly happy to see some familiar faces, the hardworking staff from the Springs Medical Centre in Daylesford, who shortlisted as finalists for their dedicated, important work serving their local community. Medicare is a proud Labor legacy. I'm delighted to be here as part of the Albanese Labor government, which is working so hard to strengthen Medicare, to get bulk-billing back on track, to make our healthcare system more universal and more affordable to all Australians. Congratulations to all the hardworking doctors, nurses and staff at the clinics and hospitals across the nation. And I thank very much the Springs Medical Centre for coming to Canberra.

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