Louise Miller-Frost
Boothby · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“This has been a big week in parliament and a big week for delivery by the Albanese Labor government. The Solar Saver program started—three hours of power in the middle of the day. We expanded paid parental leave to a full six months. We opened the National Environmental Protection Agency and we opened a new veteran wellbeing agency.”
“More recently, we announced that we will strengthen consumer protections for those on Support at Home by empowering the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to be able to order refunds for overcharged services and to be able to report publicly on investigations and enforcement actions; by producing each quarter a national summary of Su…”
“The demographics are not in our favour. Next year, 90,000 additional Australians will turn 80; 15 years ago that number was 15,000. This has an impact on the service offerings we need to provide, specifically in aged care and health.”
“While we listen to those opposite try to throw blame around and cynically, desperately, try to claw back some votes, we should turn to an independent arbiter as to why the aged-care system is where it is right now.”
“The government's plan to expand and improve aged-care services in Australia will also mean an expansion of end-of-life pathway, providing dignified care to older Australians in their final months.”
“We are confronted with this reality and we are confronting the reality with a plan—a plan that will ensure that every older Australian can get affordable and timely access to the quality care they need and deserve, and a plan that will improve and expand the system to make it fit for purpose and sustainable well into the foreseeable futur…”
The complete record
Every one of 506 lines we hold for Louise Miller-Frost, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 11.
“On average a woman will try seven times before she successfully leaves, and we know that the time of leaving, when the perpetrator is losing control over her, is often the most dangerous period. Sally's ex stalked her for many years, extending the fear and threat of violence as she tried to establish a new, secure and safe life for herself. The great thing about having organisations like Rotary, which reach out into the community with the message that violence is not okay, is that we need the message to be echoed at the grassroots level. It can't just be the women's organisations or the anti-violence or DV-specific services. This requires a cultural change, and that means everyone. It needs to be something that everyone knows is a basic standard of decency in the community.”
“It's why we've invested more money into addressing this scourge than any previous government, but it is something every single one of us in this place—and, indeed, every single Australian—has a role to play in. A few months ago I attended a Rotary event in Adelaide called Purple Waves of Change, where 10 Rotary clubs across southern Adelaide came together to run an event to raise funds and raise awareness about the impact of family and domestic violence on our communities. I give a shout-out to Holdfast Bay Rotary Club, Glenelg Rotary Club and Somerton Park Rotary Club, all in my electorate of Boothby, who participated in this event. We heard from Sally, who spoke about her experience of domestic violence and her experience of trying to leave that relationship. It took her six years to successfully leave.”
“It costs the Australian economy an estimated $26 billion annually. It places significant pressure on healthcare services, police, the justice system and support services. Domestic and family violence is also the leading cause of preventable death, disability and illness for women aged 15 to 44, and it's the primary driver of homelessness. It impacts workplaces—affecting retention, productivity and staff morale—and it's a human rights issue. No-one should have to live with the threat of violence hanging over them. No-one should be subject to coercive control or financial or psychological abuse. The Albanese Labor government renews its commitment to building a safer Australia, where every woman and child can live free from gender-based violence. Ending gender based violence is a national priority for the Albanese Labor government.”
“In my work in women's homelessness, I saw women who had grown up as children in violent homes who were still showing the effects decades later. They had difficulty forming or keeping a trusting relationship, be it an intimate relationship, a friendship or a collegial relationship at work. Under pressure, they often made decisions that were based on a sense of vulnerability or downright panic. Sixty per cent or more of the women that we saw experiencing homelessness came from a domestic or family violence background. They were either escaping imminent violence or had a background that included violence. We know that one in four women and one in 14 men have experienced violence by an intimate partner since the age of 15. The societal impacts of domestic and family violence are profound.”
“The 30-year reunion was about divorce, and that's when the truth came out—the school friend whose marriage had lasted three months because their new spouse had beaten them so badly they'd had a broken leg; the school friend who, despite having a PhD and a very high-powered job, had spent close to two decades hiding bruises, dealing with blow-ups from their spouse that alienated friends and family and being isolated; and the school friend who had brought mementoes of herself to her children while she made plans to suicide to escape violence and coercive control. Domestic and family violence, sadly, is in every strata of community irrespective of culture, education level, financial resources or age. It exists in first relationships in teenage years, in same-sex couples, in couples without children and in couples with children.”
“I went to one of those schools that does school reunions every 10 years. It's quite a competitive school. Our first couple of reunions were before the advent of Facebook, so, when we met up for our 10-year reunion, many of us had not seen each other since year 12. The 10-year reunion was about careers and marriages—who had married whom, how fantastic their lives were and who was living the dream. The 20-year reunion was about children—photos of adorable cherubs in colour coordinated family photos.”
“We don't need an army of actuaries to tell us that the catastrophic impacts of climate change will be felt beyond the traditional horizons of most actors, imposing a cost on future generations.'”
“While the government's Annual climate change statement 2025 doesn't brush over the significant obstacles that are still to be confronted, importantly, it affirms the government's commitment to ensuring that the trajectory we are on now is firm and unyielding. Not only is climate change an issue of the generation and for the generations; it will define a generation. It will define a generation that either chooses to act or refuses to act. I'm ending by quoting the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, whose visit later this week will no doubt include a discussion about our two countries' ongoing collaboration in the climate change space. He said: 'Climate change is the tragedy of the horizon.”
“Complacency is the killer of progress, or, more regrettably, in the case of the opposition, ignorance is the killer of action. Net zero is—or, rather, should be—a non-negotiable benchmark, and, under this government's plan, Australia is on track to meet its emissions reduction commitments. Under the opposition's plan, Australia would still be idling at the starting line, having heard the whistle blow more than once. Australia is already in the throes of a renewable energy transition, and it's a transition that is guaranteed to improve the financial standing of all Australians—cleaner energy as well as cheaper energy.”
“The Pacific countries, our neighbours, who are daily menaced by the possibility of rising sea levels, would expect as much, if not more. Many of our own island communities are facing a similar fate. That is why Australia will assume the role of president of negotiations at COP31. With our Pacific partners, Australia will set the agenda on global climate discussions and lead the way in developing solutions to a climate crisis that is, as we speak, having a profound and acute impact on island communities and nations. As the Foreign minister last week declared: Pacific countries have long been leaders on climate action, and their voices are central to shaping the global response. While much has been achieved, the Albanese Labor government recognises there is much more to do.”
“The agreement seeks to limit global warming to well below two degrees of pre-industrial levels, and has as its objective the decarbonisation of the global economy and the reinforcement of a reliable energy system—all of which the opposition have effectively given up on by abandoning net zero by 2050. In fact, the opposition are trying to catch up to a narrative that has long run away from them. The International Energy Agency reports that around US$2.2 trillion is going collectively to renewables, grid storage, low-emission fuels, efficiency and electrification—twice as much as the US$1.1 trillion going to oil, natural gas and coal. Arguably, Australia is only one piece in a much larger puzzle. Our rates of pollution pale in comparison to the bigger economies, but there is something to be said for leading by moral authority.”
“The Albanese Labor government is also committed to retiring our coal-fired power stations, most of which are more than 24 years old, and replacing them with renewable alternatives. The consensus is clear: these coal power plants are outdated, unreliable and difficult to operate. The owners themselves have announced their closures because they are financially uneconomic. In fact, they are driving up Australia's energy costs, not lowering them, with the average level of coal power capacity unavailable due to outages increasing by 28 per cent in the second quarter of 2025. But we can't go at this alone. The Paris Agreement, whose 10-year anniversary we celebrated last year, entrenches this global effort.”
“From 1 July this year, the government's Solar Sharer Offer will see Australian households with smart meters enjoy free electricity for three hours a day. Additionally, the government has invested $40 million to accelerate the installation of kerbside and fast EV charging, which will include 10,000 public charge points, as EVs increasingly become the vehicle of choice for more Australian consumers. This is backed by the new vehicle efficiency standard, giving consumers more choice when it comes to low- or zero-emissions vehicles. More cheaper EVs are now available on the market, the second-hand market is starting up and more Australians are enjoying fuel security that is not dependent on overseas supply chains.”
“The proof is in the pudding as Australian households themselves opt in droves to make the renewable transition. Over one in three households now have solar panels on their roof—the highest uptake of solar anywhere in the world. In fact, each day 500 Australian households are installing solar panels for the first time. This has been supported by the government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which has made the installation of small-scale battery systems affordable for all Australians. The numbers again speak for themselves: over 250,000 batteries have been installed under this scheme since mid-2025, and 1,000 households more are installing a battery in their home each day. I'm proud to report that my electorate of Boothby has seen the third-highest uptake in all of South Australia and the fifth-highest uptake in the entire country.”
“Indeed, the renewable energy transition is well underway. It is charging ahead with a fury that no naysayer with a blinkered view of our present and immediate environmental dangers will be able to stop. Forty per cent of Australia's two largest electricity grids now consist of renewable energy. In September and October 2025, renewables surpassed coal as the largest source of electricity in Australia's largest grid, the national electricity market. The increase of the Capacity Investment Scheme target by 25 per cent will further accelerate investment and expansion of renewable energy generation and capacity. But even beyond the environmental benefits of a more modern, sustainable and cleaner energy system, we all know that renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy.”
“They are due to a suite of policies and programs deliberately put in place by the Albanese Labor government to ensure that, while we are tracking towards our emissions target, we are not derailed or distracted and we are able to forge ahead while the opposition dither and delay. Our government has established the new $5 billion Net Zero Fund, in the National Reconstruction Fund, that will help industrial facilities decarbonise and scale up more renewables and low-emissions manufacturing. The government has provided another $2 billion for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to help drive down electricity prices. The government has invested $1.1 billion to encourage the production of more clean fuels in Australia, and the government has introduced a safeguard mechanism to curb the high emissions of Australia's largest emitting facilities.”
“Our plan targets every level of the energy sector while ensuring that households reap both environmental and financial benefits. The Albanese Labor government's Annual c limate c hange s tatement 2025 shows the enormous strides that have already been made in reaching the Climate Change Authority's recommended emissions reduction target of 62 to 70 per cent below 2005 levels. For the year to June 2025, we saw a decrease of 2.2 per cent, or 9.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, compared to the previous year. Outside of COVID lockdowns, this is the largest financial year reduction in non-land emissions on record. These reductions are not accidental.”
“It's unbelievable that it needs to be said in 2026, but for the benefit of those in doubt—if unwilling to respond to what former vice-president Al Gore famously called the inconvenient truth—climate change is real. We're in the middle of it. Our children are, and the generations after them will be, in the middle of it, and they will pay the price. To suggest that there is an easy exit ramp, having abandoned net zero, is like committing to cross the length of South Australia on half a tank of gas; it will never happen—although I'm tempted to say you'd probably fare better in an EV with South Australia's expanding network of charging stations. So, while the opposition continue the decades-long ideological dance around the realities of climate change, the Albanese Labor government continues to act urgently and practically.”
“Last year, 2025, was Australia's fourth-warmest year since national records began more than 100 years ago. The national average maximum temperature was 1.48 degrees Celsius above average, the fourth warmest on record. Rainfall was below average across much of Australia. Ocean temperatures were the warmest they have been for the second year in a row. Indeed, a rise in ocean temperatures of 2½ degrees has been a significant factor in the devastating algal bloom that has been tearing through much of the South Australian coast, decimating marine wildlife and ecosystems and the local South Australian economy. Extreme weather events are expected to cost our economy over $40 billion by 2050.”
“Here, in Australia, we enjoy Chinese technology, cars and much more, and, in China, they enjoy our top-quality seafood, beef and wine while being a vital market for our resources and tertiary education. The Chinese Australian community is not incidental to who we are; it is who we are. May I wish all Australians happiness, prosperity, wealth and good health in the Year of the Fire Horse. Gong xi fa cai, and xinnian kuaile! Xie xie.”
“Thousands of Chinese made their way to Australia in the 1850s at the height of the gold rush, and, today, 1.4 million Australians claim Chinese heritage and ancestry. Indeed, Chinese Australians continue to enrich and enhance Australia's way of life. Chinese New Year is a fixture in the holiday calendar. Chinatowns are the beating hearts of our cities, and Chinese language, in addition to being spoken in over one million Australian homes, is taught by many schools as a matter of priority. Our trade with China is a vital part of our economy and culture. Our goods and services to China totalled $189 billion last year, 29 per cent of our global exports.”
“A famous 18th century Chinese novel, Dream of the Red Chamber , describes a Chinese New Year banquet at which glutinous rice balls with sweet red bean filling are eaten, drinking games are played, lively discussions are had and extravagant entertainments are enjoyed, and I'm glad to report that not much has changed since the 18th century. I thank my friend Say Kapsis in particular, without whose hard work and know-how the event would not have been so successful. The historic relationship between Australia and China is a long and valued one. In the 1700s, First Nations people and Chinese fishermen developed trade relationships. The first Chinese migrant to Australia, Mak Sai Ying, arrived in 1818.”
“Da jia hao! Chinese New Year officially concluded yesterday, and what a whirlwind of celebration it's been. Across the length and breadth of Australia, Chinese Australians exchanged red envelopes, set off firecrackers, watched lion dances and sang that well-known refrain, 'Gong xi, gong xi, gong xi ni.' I was privileged to attend a Chinese New Year celebration at the Adelaide Zoo, as we marked only the second Chinese New Year in Australia of our new pandas, Yi Lan and Xing Qiu. The Year of the Horse is particularly apt here. Not only is the Year of the Horse associated with energy, momentum and progress; I also have it on good authority that it's a great year to have babies. I can only hope that somebody will mention that to the pandas! I also hosted a Chinese New Year lunch at the House of Tien in my electorate of Boothby.”
“My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Water. How is the Albanese Labor government tracking on delivery of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, and how does this compare to other approaches?”
“Racing in such a large and diverse fleet helped him develop resilience, sharpen his tactical awareness, and adapt to unfamiliar conditions. It was a valuable learning opportunity both on and off the water, and … will stay with him for years to come. Henry is the definition of a local sporting champion. Beyond being remarkably talented, he is determined, disciplined, hardworking and maintains a positive attitude. I congratulate Henry on his exceptional achievements and I don't doubt that we'll be hearing more of Henry's sporting feats in the future.”
“My constituent Henry Zub was one such recipient last year. Henry is a talented sailor. Last September he travelled to Singapore as a member of the Australian Optimist Development Squad to participate in the Singapore National Sailing Championships, a highly competitive regatta involving three days of intensive training followed by four days of racing against competitors from around the world. Conditions were hot and humid with light winds, which continually posed a tactical challenge. On one occasion, with 100 boats on the starting line, it took almost two hours and 13 attempts to get the race going due to repeated recalls. Henry's father informs us: Despite these challenges, the regatta was an incredible experience for Henry.”
“With 1.8 million followers on Instagram, Dr Cleave spreads the good word about positive ageing, mindfulness and emotional resilience. Her Instagram sees her regularly performing acrobatic contortions that would challenged the most capable of gymnasts, because at 76 years old age is just a number for Dr Cleave. Her message is simple: it's never too late to live a healthier version of yourself. Old age is not a burden. It's not the beginning of terminal decline. In the famous words of Maggie Kuhn, an advocate against ageism, old age is not a disease; it's a triumph. Congratulations, Dr Cleave. A division having been called in the House of Representatives— The Local Sporting Champions grants are awarded to promising young Australians participating in state, national or international championships.”
“Ageing is a difficult subject for many people. In a hyper commercialised world, youth is considered a virtue and age is devalued—but not for Dr Kaye Cleave. A teacher, meditation guide, writer, filmmaker and researcher. Dr Cleave was recently presented with the Active Citizenship Award by the City of Holdfast Bay in my electorate of Boothby. Dr Cleave's life has been riven by personal trauma and tragedy. Her father passed away when she was 13 and her teenage daughter when she was 49. It was healthy living—physical and mental—that kept her emotionally afloat, a routine she maintains to this day. Dr Cleave does yoga, dances, swims, bikes—she actively promotes open conversations about grief and loss, and she's a social media phenomenon.”
“The measure of a society is not how it treats those who are thriving already; it is how it lifts those who need support to thrive. This report gives us a blueprint. It calls for evidence-based policy, it calls for coordination, it calls for accountability and, above all, it calls for inclusion. So let's take up that challenge with the seriousness it deserves, because, when we invest early in children, we do more than change individual lives. We strengthen communities, reduce long-term disadvantage and build a more compassionate nation. Every child deserves the chance not just to participate but to flourish. And let's ensure that, in Australia, truly, no child is left behind.”
“Now, reform of this scale will inevitably prompt concern. The announcement of Thriving Kids has already caused anxiety among families and providers, and we should not dismiss these concerns. We need to listen to them. Good reform is not measured by how quickly it's implemented but by how safely it is delivered. So, as the government considers its response, due within six months of the report's publication, we must focus on what success looks like. Success is a parent who can access help for their child. Success is a teacher who has the allied health support in the classroom. Success is a child who gets the right support at the right time before challenges become lifelong barriers. And success is a system that is equitable no matter a child's postcode, background or family circumstance.”
“The report therefore emphasises integrated planning across health, education and disability systems; culturally safe and neurodiversity-affirming models of care; and multidisciplinary teams, particularly in rural and remote areas. In short, it calls for a system that works around the child, not one that forces the child to navigate the system. A single point of entry to help families get the support they need is another really vital reform. But perhaps the most important message of this report is captured in its title: No child left behind . The committee made clear that its objective was to ensure every child who requires foundational supports is protected, included and provided appropriate services as the Thriving Kids initiative is designed to do. That is a commitment this parliament must honour.”
“Indeed, the committee was explicit: the initiative should be implemented in phases with safeguards to prevent the loss of supports for children. That principle—no loss of support—should be our guiding light. Any child who misses out, who falls through the cracks, is potential lost. We know from the inquiry that families already face long wait times for assessments and therapies, sometimes stretching from six months to four years. So much for early intervention. We know they report confusing navigating systems and inconsistent decision-making, and we know that uneven service distribution forces some families, particularly in regional areas, to travel hours just to reach a provider. These are not minor inconveniences; they are structural barriers to opportunity.”
“Reform must be careful, inclusive and grounded in evidence. That is why one of the report's central recommendations is for an inclusive co-design process involving recognised organisations, people with lived experience, First Nations communities and culturally diverse families. If we are designing supports for children, those voices must not just be consulted; they must help lead the design. The report also recommends establishing a thriving kids advisory council to guide governments on implementation and ensure the initiative delivers appropriate quality services. This is about governance, but, more importantly, it's also about trust. Parents must be able to trust that, when the reforms occur, their child will not fall through the cracks.”
“The Thriving Kids initiative is therefore positioned as a critical element of broader reform, designed to strengthen early intervention, improve equity of access and embed evidence-based, coordinated supports for children who have developmental delay and their families. This is not merely administrative reform; it's about life trajectories, because, when support comes early, children are more likely to be able to participate fully in education, build relationships and reach their potential. When it comes late or not at all, the consequences can echo across a lifetime. Families, clinicians, educators and advocates spoke to the committee clearly. Fragmented systems must be connected. Workforce sustainability matters and reforms must never compromise access to care. Their message was unmistakeable.”
“This committee inquiry was specifically set up to examine Thriving Kids and its implementation. I'd like to think the committee and its chair, the member for Macarthur, Dr Mike Freelander, himself a paediatrician, as well as the more than 400 organisations, peak bodies and individuals who provided vital information and gave evidence to the committee. At its core, this report asks a simple but profound question: when a child needs support to thrive, will the system be there—early, equitably and effectively? Importantly, the committee recognised the importance of maintaining the ideals underpinning the NDIS: independence, dignity, choice, equity and inclusion in the new program.”
“Yet, for early intervention, this need for a diagnosis can form an impenetrable barrier, preventing young children from accessing vital services for early intervention. This is one of the challenges that Thriving Kids was set up to address. As with any change in a complex system such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the changes themselves are complex, and there is, understandably, concern and nervousness in the participant and carer community as well as among clinicians and therapists. So I'm pleased to be able to speak about the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability report No child left behind , which examines the proposed Thriving Kids initiative, a reform that goes to the heart of who we are as a nation and how we support our youngest Australians.”
“We all want our children, and Australia's children, to have the best possible start in life. We want them to thrive. And if, by some chance, they seem to exhibit developmental delays, we want to be able to support them to achieve the best possible outcome. As with all early intervention, the earlier the better. But it has to be the right interventions at the right times. When dealing with very small children, this can be difficult to assess. They may not be of an age to be able to undertake assessments. They may not be cooperative with assessments; no-one wants to focus on the things they can't do. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. It seems logical that access to services requires a diagnosis, a gatekeeping eligibility.”
“It all started with Unley High—a public school and the alma mater of Julia Gillard, former PM; Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Ageing; Amanda Rishworth, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations; and many, many others. These two students are just two of the young Australians who have benefited from an excellent public education. We want that experience to be available for every Australian child, no matter their postcode and no matter their parents' income. When we fully fund public schools, we invest not just in education but in opportunity, fairness, hope and a better future for our country.”
“Unley High School is one of those rare public schools that's lucky enough to have a rowing program—not a common experience in public schools in Adelaide. Felicity's mother, Michelle Cox, says: The Unley Rowing program has changed my children's lives. I don't know what we would have done without it. We are so grateful that they've had the opportunity to learn all the life skills rowing teaches them. A sentiment I've heard from many of the families with children who row, so proud of how the Unley students conduct and manage themselves and their racing. Felicity's exciting news is that she is off to Ohio State University on a scholarship, where she will row for four years while earning an engineering degree and living her dream. She'll begin in August 2026, and she'll continue to row for the South Australian state team until then.”
“He also helped establish a native garden featuring locally endemic plants and co-organised the inaugural Yarapurla Cup interschool sports competition with three other local public schools: Urrbrae Agricultural High School, Blackwood High School and Mitcham Girls High School. Lachlan's passion for service extends beyond the school gates through his volunteering with Friends of Belair National Park and St John Ambulance SA, where he's represented South Australia at a national level. Mitcham Council said of Lachlan: Leadership doesn't always look loud. Sometimes it looks like listening, noticing what's missing, and stepping up to make positive change. One of the other students I met with was Felicity Cox.”
“Fully funding public schools is how we break cycles of disadvantage. It's how we give every child a genuine chance to succeed, and it's how we ensure Australia has a skilled, confident and capable workforce for the future. I recently met with some of the outstanding public school students in my electorate to talk about social media and hear about the amazing opportunities being afforded them by good-quality public education. Lachlan Pfitzner was the dux at Unley High School in 2025, and it was lovely to see him recently awarded Young Citizen of the Year by Mitcham Council for his work strengthening student voice and leading charity fundraisers, including for access to period products.”
“This is not about ideology, it's about evidence. Every credible education review has shown that needs based funding works. It lifts outcomes for students who are falling behind without dragging down those who are already doing well. It strengthens equity and improves overall performance. Equity in education is not about lowering standards, it's about lifting everyone. On this side, we know that education is the foundation of economic participation, social cohesion and opportunity. We know that a child's future should not be shaped by their parents' income, the suburb they grow up in or whether their school can afford specialist staff. Labor believes that public education is the backbone of a fair society and that a strong public system benefits everyone, not just those who use it directly.”
“It will mean targeted funding for literacy and numeracy intervention, mental health support, and wellbeing programs that recognise the whole child, not just their test results. It will mean properly supporting schools in regional and remote communities, where staffing pressures are real and resources must stretch further. And it means backing schools in suburbs where disadvantage too often compounds across generations. Fully funding public schools is also about respecting teachers and education workers. Teachers do not enter the profession to struggle against systemic underfunding. They enter it to teach, to inspire and to change lives. Labor's approach recognises that, when we invest in schools, we are investing in the professionals who make those schools work. Ultimately, we are investing in our next generation of Australians.”
“Under previous arrangements, many public schools never reached their full funding entitlement under the Schooling Resource Standard. The consequence of that failure has been felt in overcrowded classrooms, stretched specialist services and teachers working long hours just to meet the basic needs of their students. Labor is changing that. We are committed to full and fair funding for every public school. Need—not postcode, not parental income—must determine the level of support a child receives. The additional funding will mean more teachers in classrooms, reducing class sizes and giving students the attention they deserve. It will mean additional learning supports for students with disability.”
“Importantly, this investment is tied to real and practical reforms like phonics checks and numeracy checks, evidence-based teaching, and catch-up tutoring for kids who need additional support. Ultimately, the success of education is seen in the outcomes for the children and young people using the education system. This funding will help to make sure students across the country catch up, keep up and finish school. Around two-thirds of Australian students attend public schools, but they also educate the majority of students who have other challenges in their lives. Public schools educate the overwhelming majority of children from low-income households, from regional and remote communities, and from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Yet, for too long, public schools have been asked to do more with less.”
“Every Australian child should have access to education and access to opportunity. Talent and ability isn't concentrated in certain groups by virtue of postcode, income level or wealth. Now, over a decade later, public schools are finally on the pathway to full and fair equitable funding thanks to the Albanese Labor government. The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is a 10-year agreement developed in collaboration with state and territory governments. It represents an extra $16.5 billion over the next decade, and an extra $49 billion in investment over the decade after that. In South Australia it means more that $1 billion in additional funding for public schools across the state. It is the biggest new investment in public schools by an Australian government ever.”
“It's a statement about who we are, what we value and whose side we're on, and it will benefit every single one of us, whether we have children at school or not. Good-quality, accessible and affordable education at a country-wide level is an investment in the future of the country. It's an investment in the economy and an investment in current and future workforces. The 2011 review into school funding conducted by David Gonski stressed the need for an equitable school-funding system, one that ensures that differences in educational outcomes are not the result of wealth, income, power, possessions or postcode. The review was established to develop a funding system for Australian schooling which is transparent, fair, financially sustainable and effective in promoting excellent outcomes for all Australian students.”
“My life would be very different if I had not been able to access education. Education is such a key indicator for the rest of your life. In public health there are some key statistics that link educational attainment with health outcomes. Educating women and girls is the most effective way to positively influence the health of the next generation and, at a community or country level, population-wide education is the key to having a highly skilled workforce driving innovation. Education is the most powerful investment a government can make in the future of our nation. That is why the Albanese government's commitment to fully fund public schools matters so deeply. It's not an abstract policy position.”
“In my first speech in this place I talked about my grandparents living in poverty in Northern Ireland, and how they knew that education was the key to make sure that never happened to their children—my mother and her siblings. They knew that education was the key to being able to take advantage of opportunities. It was the key to being able to get ahead and have more options for a career. It was the key to being able to look after your family. I was lucky enough to be born into a family that valued education and valued education for girls, and I was lucky that my family decided to migrate to Australia when I was very young. My entire education has been here in this country, a country where public education was available and affordable, a country where tertiary education is also subsidised.”
“My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. How is the Albanese Labor government focused on delivering key rail projects across the country? Why is delivery rather than division so important in the delivery of infrastructure projects?”