Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I see Senator Ferguson nodding enthusiastically over there. There is a young correspondent who writes regularly in the Sunday Mail called Ann-Maree Andritsakis, a very young student and part-time worker. I would like to share with the Senate some of her thoughts about the package which is being considered today. Interestingly, underneath her article is another regular correspondent to the paper, the member for Sturt, Mr Pyne, who has a completely different view from Ms Andritsakis.  In her column, Ms Andritsakis says:

The idea of stimulus packages is to spend, to inject money into the economy, and that is exactly what I plan to do, but first, a bit of sensible spending is in order, specifically the textbooks for uni that I always seem to forget to save for. Then the leftover amount will gladly be poured into the retail sector. As I see it, the retail industry, along with hospitality, is filled with young people desperate to earn a buck or two. There is no doubt life has for many become a little bit harder—for some a lot harder in one way or another over recent months. All of a sudden there is the uncertainty that I will walk into my part-time job one day and my boss will tell me he has no more hours to give me. There is also the uncertainty that I will graduate at the end of the year and there will be no jobs for me.

Those are the words of a young university student and a part-time worker, outlining the consideration that we should give to our young people. It is devastating indeed for people to graduate from university and then not be able to find a job. If this package of bills before us today, this $42 billion stimulus package, can in any way contribute to the economic welfare and employment security of our young people like Ms Andritsakis, we all should be supporting it. I urge all senators to support it.

There are, of course, other elements of the package of bills before us today which are directly relevant to our young people. I mention in particular the funds dedicated in the package to building the education revolution. I have asked the South Australian government to provide me with their response to that package and have been advised that right now over 520 government and 170 non-government schools in South Australia fall into the categories of primary school, special school or K to 12 school, meaning that all of them would be eligible to apply for funding to build or upgrade large-scale infrastructure—for example, libraries and multipurpose halls. There are over 690 schools in my state alone. I am sure that the minister will confirm that they will be able to build or upgrade vital infrastructure with this funding. Approximately 260 South Australian schools—