David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Boosting higher education and training and tackling the cost of living are critical issues for the people of Bean. I welcome the announcements by the Prime Minister on the weekend that a re-elected Labor government will cut $5,500 from an average university student debt and lock in free TAFE permanently. This plan will benefit the residents of Bean and Australia and will help to make ends meet and get ahead. It will put money back in the pockets of residents, who are often facing a host of financial pressures when starting out in their working lives, and it will increase the attractiveness of pursuing higher education and training, which is essential not just for the future of the ACT but for our nation.

We know that education is the most powerful weapon we have against disadvantage, and it's the best investment we can make in building Australia's future. With the new Canberra Institute of Technology being built by the ACT government in the heart of Bean and the Prime Minister's plan to cut the costs faced by those pursuing higher education and training, Labor governments at state, territory and federal levels are, rightly, putting students and trainees centrestage in a future built in Australia. I'll continue to advocate for them in this parliament and in the next.

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