Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia has been built on education, built on young minds in primary schools around the country and built on the skills Aussies learn at a tertiary level in our world-class TAFEs and universities. This is what makes education so important. It's even more important that Aussies can access it, no matter who they are or where they live, because, without those skills and without the opportunity to learn a trade at TAFE or study their passion at uni, Australians are held back. They're held back from building a future for themselves and their loved ones, and they're held back from building our future as a nation. That's why the Albanese Labor government is breaking these chains and putting tertiary education on the doorsteps of everyday Aussies. We're doing that by providing 100,000 fee-free TAFE places every single year, helping Aussies to build their livelihoods, regardless of their means, as they build the future of our country. We're also bringing university opportunities to the very streets of Australian suburbs through the establishment of 14 suburban university study hubs around the nation in communities at a disadvantage when it comes to education and opportunity. We want to give everyday Aussies the hammer to break down the obstacles of disadvantage and smash the barriers of inequality. We want them to thrive through an accessible, affordable education system. Under this Labor government, we are building Australia's future.