Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We need to stand for something in this place. I stand for the needs of the children of Hasluck. I stand for a universal early education system that is affordable and accessible for everyone. I stand for the Albanese government's wage justice for early childhood education and care workers, delivering pay rises that are already encouraging people to stay in these vital occupations. In fact, there are now 30,000 more childcare workers than when we came into office. Childcare costs have also been cut for more than one million families.

I stand for better and fairer schools so that nobody is held back and nobody is left behind. We have already delivered funding agreements with two states—including, of course, Western Australia—and the territories to ensure that all students at government schools are funded to 100 per cent of the school resourcing standard. This much-needed funding has been welcomed by principals of government schools in Hasluck. It is good for schools, good for teachers, good for the families and good for students, and it's brilliant for Australia.

I stand for protecting children in the wisest and best way we can, giving them time to be children before negotiating the hazards that exist alongside the opportunities in social media.

What do the members opposite stand for? Where is their full support for early childhood workers? Where is their wholehearted agreement that proper funding for government schools is good policy? Hasluck understand that good policy for children needs a Labor government and that they will be worse off under a Liberal-National one. (Time expired)