Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One in four residents of Holt are under 14, and many will soon transition into TAFE and university. Across many industries, students must undertake hundreds of hours of unpaid work placements to finish their degrees. I know that undertaking hundreds of hours of unpaid work is difficult, especially with today's cost-of-living pressures. Last week I headed to Federation University in Berwick to share the extremely exciting news with students that the Albanese government will start paying nursing, teaching, social work and midwifery students $320 per week while they are undertaking their placements. After a decade of attacks on our university students by the Liberals, this is proof that our government is committed to supporting students. We have also announced that we are wiping $3 billion in student debt and ensuring that future debt will never grow faster than wages. This change will benefit 19,600 people with student debt in Holt, because, unlike the Liberals, Labor will always support young Australians to pursue their dreams.