Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm sorry, Darren. Surely they would understand the benefits that accrue, but it seems to me that they're out of touch with the needs of local communities and the needs of Australians. Labor knows that education is a right for all Australians; it's not just a privilege. It's not something that you can buy. Back in the fifties and sixties you had to have a lot of money to go to university, and it shut out 80 to 90 per cent of the population.

I asked the great Bob Hawke, my predecessor in the seat of Wills, what was the most important thing that he'd done out of all the great things he'd done in the Labor government—the golden era of the Hawke and Keating governments—and he said, 'You know what? One of the things that is not talked about enough is the policies that we put in place. When I started, about 30 per cent of Australians finished year 12,' or matriculation, as they used to call it, but, because of the policy that Bob Hawke and the Labor government put in place, by the end of his time around 80 to 90 per cent of Australians were finishing year 12—secondary education. He was most proud of that, and that was a government that achieved a lot, so it tells you the importance that education has at the heart of our DNA and the commitment that we have to it as a party.

Whether it's vocational, tertiary or other forms of studies, learning and training, Labor and the Albanese government are committed to making our educational system aspirational and accessible. That's why we have committed to wiping 20 per cent off student debt, improving the way payments are made, providing paid placements for a number of vocations and increasing wages for crucial sectors like aged care and child care. That's why we've introduced this visionary Free TAFE Bill—because it will make a difference to hundreds and thousands of Australians, who will open the door for their opportunity to make a contribution to this country. I would hope those opposite would see that and would come around and support this bill.

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