Matt Burnell
Spence · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Christiana also said: We need Carnival to stop exploiting the workers. We work very long hours and get paid not even peanuts. Australia has built its reputation on fair wages, safe workplaces and respect for working people. Those values cannot stop at the water's edge.”
“Long shifts are routine, often stretching well beyond 12-hour days. Nobody should have to choose between protecting their health and keeping their job, and, after I heard this, nobody can convince me to go on a Carnival cruise in the future. The Maritime Union of Australia deserves enormous credit for exposing these practices.”
“This was about making sure those without a voice had someone prepared to stand up for them. That experience has stayed with me ever since. Perhaps that is why I reacted so strongly after meeting two former Carnival Cruise employees, Queen and Christiana, this week. What they described left me entirely appalled.”
“Queen and Christiana described having to purchase their own drinking water, Wi-Fi, toiletries and sanitary products while living on board. Basic necessities became another cost deducted from wages that were already impossible to live on. No employer should expect workers to pay simply to meet their most fundamental needs.”
“Thank you to the member for Mayo for that fine contribution to this House just now. Before I entered this place, I spent a decade working offshore in the Australian oil and gas industry.”
“I call on AMSA to ensure these rights are respected and enforced. I know the pride that comes from working in the maritime sector. I also know the sacrifices made by those who spend months away from their families to keep global trade and tourism moving. That commitment should never be rewarded with exploitation.”
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“My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. What action is the Albanese Labor government taking to help low-paid workers earn more and keep more of what they earn, and what obstacles are in the way?”
“On the other side, there is confusion, cuts and neglect. The Australian people expect more than rhetoric. They expect results. This government is providing them. AUKUS is how we strengthen our security; defence investment is how we guarantee our prosperity. It's a simple equation, isn't it? And it's one we believe in, because security and prosperity together are how we secure Australia's future. In closing, I had the very good fortune of being on Talisman Sabre for a week just prior to us sitting. That was a bloody good example of just how well equipped our Defence Force is, with the cooperation between 19 countries across this globe.”
“Senator Henderson said it best herself when she stated that the coalition's policy on defence is just 'an afterthought'. Quite frankly, I agree with the member for Canning himself when he said it was embarrassing to campaign in the election with no defence policy. The opposition should be looking inward and reflecting. What were their plans for an underfunded Defence Force? Would they ever have provided some concrete numbers for the Australian people or just continued to cross their fingers and hope? Would they have just let our international partnerships and relationships wither and perish? The way I see it, the difference could not be clearer. On one side there is the Albanese Labor government—$57.6 billion in new defence funding, record acquisitions, the delivery of AUKUS, jobs and skills for Australians.”
“The 2025-26 budget included an extra $10.6 billion over the forward estimates and $57.6 billion over the decade. Defence spending is now 2.04 per cent of GDP, rising to 2.36 per cent by 2033-34. Last year Defence spent $16.6 billion on acquisitions—a record. This year it will exceed $17.4 billion. So, even when the coalition gave us a hospital pass and slashed defence spending by $20 billion, we are the ones yet again cleaning up their mess. But what would the coalition know about proper defence policy today? Their election policy on defence was nothing short of a piece of fiction. Now, having stood before the Australian public and not provided any detail about where their defence money was coming from or going to, we have the member for Hume saying we aren't spending enough as a percentage of GDP.”
“The member for Sturt and I attended the sod turning earlier this year with the Premier of South Australia, along with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. We've launched an industry led supplier qualification program and we have released Australia's first AUKUS Submarine Industry Strategy. AUKUS is about not only security but also prosperity. This is a future made in Australia, by Australians, with skills, training and jobs that will last for generations. This sits within a bigger picture for Australia. The Albanese Labor government has increased defence funding to record levels, the biggest peacetime increase in our history, because this is a partnership that the Albanese government believe in and we see the benefits of it in the short and the long term. That's why we're backing it in financially.”
“Since March 2023, progress has been real and measurable. That is why we are investing in conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines. They will give Australia reach and capability we have never had before. They place us alongside only six other nations able to operate platforms of this calibre. AUKUS is one of the greatest industrial undertakings in our history. It will create around 20,000 direct jobs over the next 30 years in South Australia. It will underpin industries and supply chains across the nation. To solidify AUKUS, this year alone we have signed the Geelong treaty with the UK, underpinning SSN-AUKUS cooperation. We've invested $480 million in the new Skills and Training Academy campus in SA.”
“At its heart, AUKUS is about keeping Australians safe. It is a core pillar of the Albanese government's national security policy. By protecting our nation and safeguarding our interests, we are ensuring that, in an uncertain world, we have the means to defend ourselves. The National Defence Strategy is clear: we face the most challenging strategic environment since the Second World War and we face it at a time when our economic connections to the world are deeper than ever. Security and prosperity are bound together. The lesson is simple: to defend our nation, physically, economically and ideologically, whilst contributing to regional stability, the ADF must have greater capacity to project power. Importantly, AUKUS is not just an announcement; it's a partnership that's being delivered.”
“This is also about prevention because, the earlier we can reach someone, the better their chances are of recovery and the less strain there is on families, on workplaces and on the health system as a whole. This is not just good policy; it is the right thing to do. I will keep working to ensure that the north and communities like ours across the country continue to be front and centre of this work because mental health care should never depend on your postcode, your income or your ability to navigate a complicated system; it should depend only on your need and our shared responsibility to meet it. The Albanese Labor government is proud to be making this investment, proud to be standing up for better mental health services and proud to be delivering for the people of the northern suburbs of Adelaide.”
“I want to acknowledge the many organisations, advocates and health workers in our community who have been calling for change for years and the nurses, the counsellors, the peer support workers and the GPs who have been doing their best to help people within a stretched and underresourced system. Their work has been nothing short of extraordinary, but they have been asking—no, demanding—that governments step up. The Albanese government has listened, and we are delivering. While this is national reform, it is also deeply local because every one of these 91 Medicare mental health centres will serve a community with its own needs, its own challenges and its own strengths.”
“Too often services were concentrated in the city, meaning people had to travel for hours or wait for months, too often mental health was treated as an add-on, not a core part of the health system, and too often the stigma around mental health illness kept people from asking for help at all. These reforms change that. They put services closer to home, in the heart of communities like ours. They send a clear message that mental health care is health care and it belongs in Medicare. It also means that, when someone is in crisis, they are met with compassion, not complexity.”
“This is about more than one-off interventions. That is why the government is opening new perinatal mental health centres to make sure new parents have the help they need during one of the most challenging transitions in life. We are delivering Medicare mental health kids hubs so that children and their families can get early support when signs first emerge, before problems become entrenched. We are expanding headspace centres for young people because adolescence and early adulthood can be some of the most turbulent years for mental health. We are embedding Medicare mental health centres for adults, ensuring that care is available for anyone at any age. This approach matters for the north, because we know the barriers our community has faced.”
“It's open Monday to Sunday, including public holidays, because we know a crisis does not hit the pause button depending on what time of the year it is. All of these centres are free and open for walk-ins, ready to provide short- or medium-term care with a safe space to sit and talk, or even just sit quietly, when you need it the most. You do not need an appointment, you do not need a referral and you do not need a mental health treatment plan, because, when you are in crisis or when you are just starting to realise you need help, you should not have to navigate red tape before you can speak to someone. You should be able to walk through the door and find care from qualified clinical staff who can provide treatment and non-clinical staff who can listen, guide and connect you to the support you need.”
“Today I speak about an issue that is as personal as it is national, an issue that affects families, friends, neighbours and communities right across Australia. That issue is mental health. For too long, too many Australians have struggled in silence, navigating a system that is hard to access, hard to understand and often out of reach. This is not a challenge we can leave out of sight and out of mind. That is why the Albanese Labor government is putting mental health at the very heart of Medicare and services at the centre of communities. We are building a national network of 91 Medicare mental health centres across the country so that, no matter where you live, help is never far away. In the northern suburbs of Adelaide, we have our own mental health centre in Elizabeth.”
“This is a whole new generation of Australians inspired by space, as much as we were in 1969. The Southern Launch program is also putting South Australia's best foot forward, operating both the Koonibba Test Range and the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. In 2025 they made history with multiple commercial re-entries at Koonibba. The landing of Varda's W-2 capsule in February was the first return to a commercial spaceport anywhere in the world, followed by the W-3 capsule in May. These missions are pioneering medicine manufacturing in microgravity, developing new pharmaceuticals. In May 2024 Germany's HyImpulse successfully launched its SR75 rocket as well.”
“That is why, in the 2024-25 budget, the Albanese government invested over $200 million to upgrade the Alice Springs ground station and expand advanced data processing and analytics, and this is why the CSIRO continues to connect Australia to the universe, assisting the operation of NASA's Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, the European Space Agency's New Norcia station and our national radio astronomy facilities. Our achievements in space are not just about satellites and capability; they're about inspiration. Since opening in 2021, the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide has welcomed over 165,000 visitors including 18,000 students. Through outreach programs, our space agency now reaches an average monthly audience of 20 million people through traditional, social and digital media.”
“Additionally, more than 25 Australian government agencies now rely on space capability every day. Earth observation satellites support over 170 digital programs, the Bureau of Meteorology uses over 30 satellite data streams, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority relies on near real-time satellite data to manage our rivers and Geoscience Australia provides over 35 years of free and open satellite imagery mapping changes to our land and coasts.”
“These programs are enabling companies to develop world-class capability in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence. Our space agency is also leading on projects that inspire the nation. A $42 million program is supporting the development of the Roo-ver, Australia's lunar rover. The Roo-ver will join NASA on a lunar mission, supporting 50 direct and 100 indirect jobs across 20 Australian organisations. This is a clear sign of how our industry is shaping innovation and providing jobs in Australia. The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation has also made a $25 million investment in Myriota, a South Australia based company leading the way in satellite telecommunications. Backing companies to succeed is what Future Made in Australia is all about.”
“It employs 17,000 full-time workers across more than 620 organisations nationwide, and it is powering new opportunities for industry, science and sovereign capability. In just a few weeks, Australia will proudly host the 76th International Astronautical Congress, with more than 6,000 attendees expected to attend from over 90 countries. There, the world will see what Australia has built and where we're going. It's absolutely no surprise that space launch applications have increased fivefold since 2021. This is proof of a sector alive with innovation, ambition and investment. The Australian Space Agency has been central to this momentum, delivering $171 million in grant funding to 91 projects benefiting more than 200 Australian organisations.”
“On 1 July 2025, we marked seven years since the official establishment of the Australian Space Agency. But Australia's rich history with space goes well beyond the last seven years. Nearly 60 years ago we played a crucial role in the mission to put the first man on the moon, with the Parkes Observatory coordinating with the NASA Apollo 11 mission. The famous footage we've all seen of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon was broadcast from the Parkes Observatory. More recently, in my own backyard of South Australia, we have played a critical role in the build and operation of several key missions utilising space. The Albanese Labor government values the contribution of the space sector to the Australian economy and to delivering a future made in Australia. Today, the Australian space sector generates $4.6 billion each year.”
“This government is rebuilding TAFE with purpose and pride. We're investing in TAFE infrastructure, teaching quality and student support so that people in Spence aren't left behind, because, when we invest in skills, we invest in an Australia fit for the next generation to inherit. We know that Spence has done it tough, but we also know that talent is everywhere; it just needs a chance. Free TAFE is that chance. So, during this National Skills Week, let's acknowledge the incredible work of our local TAFE teachers, staff, students, apprentices and graduates. Let's celebrate the sparkies, the carers, the coders and the chefs building their lives and building our region. Let's keep investing in people, in training and in the future of Spence. I'm proud to be part of a government that backs skills, backs workers and backs Spence.”
“Parents can study while raising kids and don't have to worry about a 30-minute drive, on a good day, into Adelaide. Older workers can retrain without having to start from scratch, and school leavers can find pathways that don't require a university degree but still lead to a great job. This is how we build an economy that works for everyone. We train Australians in Australia for jobs in Australia. We do it by respecting skills training as being every bit as vital as a university education, because, whether you're laying bricks in Blakeview, working in aged care in Andrews Farm or studying to become a nurse in Elizabeth Vale at Lyell McEwin Hospital, your work matters, and your training should, too. The days of cutting funding to TAFE, of neglecting our public training system and of treating skills as optional are over.”
“It was a commitment to every person in Spence who has ever thought, 'How can I afford to study?' or, 'I would love to change my career path, but I can't afford it.' It was a commitment to fairness, to opportunity and to rebuilding our training system from the ground up, because we know where the future jobs are. They're in housing construction as we work to deliver 1.2 million new homes, including right here in the north. They're in nursing and aged care to meet the needs of our ageing population. They're in sectors like renewables, disability support and digital tech, where demand is only growing. While free TAFE is a national program, it's impact is felt most powerfully at the local level. In Spence, this means people can study close to home.”
“People are training in aged care, nursing, construction, hospitality and early childhood education—fields where we desperately need more skilled workers. I might invite the member for Grey to come and pay a visit to my electorate. I'll show you some of the fine young people working to get ahead in my community. Let me say this. It is working. When you complete a TAFE qualification, you can graduate with the skills and confidence to walk into workplaces ready to go, ready to contribute and ready to fill the critical workforce shortages that have held Spence and other regions back for too long. The Free TAFE Bill 2024, passed by this government, wasn't just a piece of legislation.”
“Through the free TAFE program, more than 650,000 enrolments have already been made across the country. Over 170,000 free TAFE courses have been completed. That's 170,000 Australians with new qualifications, new skills and new confidence. In Spence, we're seeing this transformation happen every day. We know our region has some of the highest levels of need when it comes to education. In One Tree Hill, Munno Para, Smithfield and across our northern suburbs, we've seen far too many people locked out of education and training because of cost, geography or lack of opportunity. But free TAFE is opening doors and even training the people to fix those doors. Local campuses are buzzing with activity.”
“Today marks the beginning of National Skills Week. I rise to recognise the critical role that vocational education and training continues to play in shaping the future of our workforce not just across the country but in my electorate of Spence. In the north, we are proudly home to two TAFE campuses in Elizabeth and Salisbury. Both are eligible to service the people of Spence and South Australia with fee-free TAFE courses, because skills training isn't just an economic strategy; it's a nation-building one. It's how we make sure that Australians, young and not so young, get the training they need to build a life they can be proud of. For too long, vocational education was treated as the poor cousin of our education system, but this government is changing that. We're putting TAFE back at the heart of our VET sector, where it always belonged.”
“Everybody wants a piece of us all of the time. It is so important that we put aside five minutes every day to make that phone call or tell our staff: 'No, I'm sorry. We're having Sunday as a family day.' That's what maintains our relationships. It's what keeps us grounded in this job so that we don't lose sight of what we're here to do.”
“To Michael Atkinson, my campaign manager: mate, it was quite a journey. I learnt a bit about you, you learnt a bit about me, but ultimately we got a job done. I am extremely thankful for all of your guidance before, during and since the election. I look forward to our friendship growing over the coming years and will be eternally grateful for everything you have done. To my beautiful wife, Cassandra, thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't supported me in 2022 to put my hand up. Everybody in here knows that it's a huge commitment not just from us but from our families. It takes a toll on them. We have to make sure that we look after our family when we're home. We can't get absorbed into this role and forget about things outside of it, because it's very easy to.”
“I had hundreds of volunteers lining up to letterbox, to doorknock, to help at prepoll, to make phone calls and to help pack booth boxes—to do those little one per cent things that make such a difference for the candidate. There were more than 200 volunteers. There's not enough time on the clock to list everybody and do justice. But, to each and every one of my branch members, to my community volunteers, to those who answered the call to come and help us to re-win this seat, I want to say thank you. We have had a thankyou barbecue, and I am so appreciative of the near-100 people who turned up to that. But, for those who didn't, I do want to say to you today: thank you from the bottom of my heart for every minute, every hour, every day you put in on the campaign. It made a huge difference, and I'll be eternally grateful for it.”
“It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the contribution and impact that you've had on my life as well as the confidence you had in encouraging me to nominate for preselection and subsequently run as the candidate for Spence in 2022 and re-election this year. Thank you, mate. I'll be eternally grateful for everything you did for me. Then there are my amazing volunteers. There's not a person in this place who could say, hand on heart, that they got here by themselves. Yes, we get to do all the fancy stuff and turn up to things and get acknowledged for being the member or the candidate. But ultimately we don't get here without the hard, tireless work of hundreds of volunteers in our respective electorates, and mine is no different.”
“So thank you very much for that. Whilst I'm giving thanks, I do really want to say thank you to the union movement for having my back over the last three years—a big shout-out to the SDA, AWU, HSU and SA Unions and especially my union, the TWU. To Sam McIntosh and the team down at Chief Street in Brompton: thank you so much for everything you've helped with over the last three years. When I needed help, you guys were always there and really went that extra mile to make sure we got the job done. So I do want to say thank you. But I also want to acknowledge our great mate, my former boss and a great mentor to me—Ian Smith, the former secretary of the TWSA/NT branch. It's been just over 12 months since his passing.”
“As a young boy growing up in Mildura, in country Victoria, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would make it to this place. To have had three years as the member for Spence and then to be re-elected is such a privilege. As I'm sure every member in this place acknowledges, it is an absolute gift to have your name called to speak on behalf of your constituency. So to every person who voted for me: thank you. And, for those who didn't vote for me, there's still time! Hopefully at the 2028 election you might change your view and swing in behind me, and hopefully we can get that margin up over 50 per cent; that would make my day, for sure. But, any day when I get called as the winner of the seat of Spence, I'll be very happy and eternally grateful and will always put my best foot forward to represent our community.”
“To the Governor-General, on Her Excellency's fine address to this parliament last week: thank you for everything you've done since your appointment to the Governor-General position, but also I really want to extend very warm thanks for the way in which you engaged with my daughter last week during the reception after your address. She met Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, her political idol—but you came in at a very close second. So I do say thank you for that. To the people of Spence, who have entrusted me for a second term: from the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for the great honour of being able to stand in this chamber and represent your needs on a day-to-day basis. It is by far and away the greatest privilege of my life.”
“It gives me great pleasure to make a contribution to this address-in-reply debate. Before I congratulate other people, Deputy Speaker Scrymgour, I want to congratulate you on your deputy speaker role. I think it is a significant tick of approval to the person that you are and the contribution you have made since joining this parliament in 2022 alongside me. Well done. I do want to extend my congratulations to the Speaker of the House, the member for Oxley. He has been a fantastic contributor in my time here and has really elevated the role of Speaker, in my view, since my election. I also want to extend that to the Deputy Speaker, Ms Sharon Claydon, a very dear friend and someone who has offered me quite a lot of advice over the last three years.”
“His Holiness lived those words every day not just in Vatican declarations but in quiet acts away from the cameras, in places most of us will never see. And so today we mourn, but we also give thanks for the life of a man who led not from above but from beside; who reminded us that change is not only possible, it is necessary; and who in the twilight of his life still dreamed of a world healed by compassion. Vale, Pope Francis. May you rest in eternal peace. This world is a better place because of your actions.”
“He showed us that faith is not meant to wall us off from the world but to root us more deeply in it, that true holiness is not about retreat but engagement and that we are never more fully human than when we care for the most vulnerable among us. I hope that legacy is not just remembered but lived by priests, by politicians, by young people seeking purpose, by all of us. It's rare for one person to unite people across faiths, ideologies and borders, but Pope Francis did—not by diluting his message but by returning to its essence: love thy neighbour, feed the hungry, shelter the stranger, clothe the poor, forgive those who have wronged you and, above all else, never forget that each person is made in the image of God.”
“He urged world leaders to govern with tenderness, with wisdom and always with the needs of the poor and struggling at heart. He reminded us time and again that behind every statistic is a soul, and I think that's what made him so powerful in this century of apathy. He listened, he noticed, he cared. He didn't preach from a throne or an ivory tower; he walked among the people and greeted each one the way you would a close friend. It is impossible to capture his full legacy in words, but, if I had to choose one, it would be 'mercy'. In a world that can be so easily turned harsh, defensive and divided, Pope Francis chose mercy time and time again. In his teachings, his actions, and even in his silences, he taught us the strength of tenderness.”
“When others offered condemnation, he offered compassion. 'Who am to judge?' he often asked, in one of his most quoted remarks. But it wasn't a shrug with a lack of care; it was an affirmation of humility. In doing so, he cracked open the doors of an ancient institution, letting in light, letting in air and letting in love. I know that many in the electorate of Spence will be grieving his loss, particularly our Catholic community and anyone who looked to Francis as a moral compass, not just as a religious figure but as a man of peace in troubling times. He was a champion for the voiceless when many chose to shout and a friend to those on the margins of society to invite them back in. Pope Francis believed that politics, at its best, was a form of charity—'one of the highest forms of love', he once said.”
“He reminded the world that the church is a place welcoming of all people, and, for so many, Catholic or not, Pope Francis was the embodiment of hope—hope for a more inclusive church that welcomes the poor, the displaced, the excluded, the LGBTQ+ community and the forgotten; hope for a world where climate justice and human dignity walk hand in hand; and hope that the ancient and seemingly closed-door institution of the papacy could evolve, not by erasing or bypassing tradition but by reawakening its spirit for the 21st century. His was a papacy of firsts, but, more importantly, it was a papacy of principle. He visited prisons, refugee camps, war zones and slums, not for photo opportunities but to listen to the people. He washed the feet of Muslim migrants and spoke softly to the child refugees.”
“Today I speak with a heavy heart on behalf of the people of Spence to mark the passing of a truly extraordinary man, His Holiness Pope Francis—a man of deep humility, boundless compassion and unshakable moral courage. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires in 1936, he lived a life of quiet service long before he wore the white robes of the papacy. He worked as a janitor, bouncer and chemist. He lived among the people. He listened to them; he understood them. And that never changed, even when he rose to become the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first to take the name Francis. He was inspired by St Francis of Assisi. He chose a path of simplicity and modesty over splendour and of mercy over judgement.”
“This government is delivering for people—not just headlines, not just slogans but practical, meaningful change. This bill is proof of that. It's a reflection of the values that I and my Labor colleagues bring with us every day when representing our communities: fairness, opportunity and respect for working people, as well as an unshakable belief that government should be a force for good. So, to the three million Australians who have student debt, I say this: we heard you, we backed you and we'll keep backing you, because your future is this nation's future. I commend this bill to the House.”
“I do not want to have to tell them, 'Hey, it's great that you want to serve others, but it's going to cost you thousands in lost income while you do it.' I know that some people in this place might like to sneer when we talk about transformational change. They scoff at the idea that something like a HECS debt cut could change lives. Well, I invite them to spend a week in Spence, to sit down with a nursing student in Andrews Farm, a social work student in Craigmore or a first-in-their-family uni kid from Smithfield. Tell them their future doesn't matter. Tell them it's too expensive to give them a break. I guarantee you, what some might consider a handout we call fairness. What some call reckless we call responsible nation-building.”
“We've got to keep looking at how we support the next generation of tradespeople, teachers, social workers and researchers. We've got to make sure that someone's postcode doesn't determine their potential. That's why we'll keep pushing for more support for students, especially in regional and outer suburban areas, because it's not just tuition that holds people back; it's travel, rent and time away from paid work. Those barriers disproportionately hit the exact people we most need in our workforce. We're talking about students who want to become community nurses, aged-care workers and youth justice case managers—the real backbone of society.”
“This policy does just that. In Spence you'll find suburbs where fewer than one in five young people go to uni, not because they're not smart, not because they don't want to but because they look at the cost—the long-term debt and the uncertainty—and decide it's not worth it. This 20 per cent wipe tells them a different story. It says: 'We believe in you. We're going to look out for you now and we're going to keep looking out for you in the future.' That matters, especially in places like Elizabeth, Davoren Park, Munno Para and Salisbury North, where people have talent in spades but often do not have the financial backing to make dreams a reality. While I'm proud of what this bill delivers, I'm also thinking about where we go from here, because this can't be the end of the conversation about student debt in this country.”
“It's about saying, 'We see you, we value you and we've got your back,' because education isn't a throwaway privilege for the few; it's a right, a pillar of opportunity. When people invest in their education, when they take out a loan to try and build a better future, they shouldn't be punished for it. They shouldn't be hit with rising repayments, inflated indexation and political spin that says, 'Just deal with it.' That is what I consider 'grossly unfair'. What's also unfair is stacking decades worth of debt onto a generation that's already locked out of homeownership. What's unfair is expecting our teachers, our nurses and our early childhood educators to take on debt for the privilege of doing jobs this country desperately needs. We don't get stronger as a nation by keeping people underwater. We grow by lifting each other up.”
“They adapted and improvised. They made so many sacrifices, as we all did, to finish their degrees. What did the Liberals do? I wish I could say they did nothing, but it was even worse than that. They hiked up fees and made it harder for young people to get a crack at university—just a complete slap in the face. That's the real contrast here. In the red corner you have a government that's stepping up to ease the burden, and in the blue corner you have the party that made things worse then turned its back when people needed it most. Let's be clear. This 20 per cent cut isn't just about money. It's about recognising the effort, the grit and the emotional toll that studying can take on students.”
“This study hub is due to officially open in its forever home in the coming months, and I can't wait to see the benefits it will deliver to our students and our community. We've also made HECS indexation fairer to make sure your debt can never grow faster than your wages. We're delivering more fee-free TAFE and university-ready courses, and we're making free TAFE permanent to make sure we have the skills we need. But there's more to do, and that'll take time. There's no silver bullet that will fix this overnight, especially not with how those opposite left things. During the pandemic, school, TAFE and university became more stressful than normal. Classes went online. Placements were cancelled or delayed. Jobs disappeared overnight. Isolation, stress and uncertainty became the new norm. Yet students pressed on. They kept studying.”
“I want people in Spence to have every opportunity in life that the people in Burnside do. But, for so many people, uni has just been that dream that has often felt too far out of reach. There's still more to do here to make uni as accessible as possible for people in my community. These changes are part of it. Paid prac placements for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students are part of it. It's also why we're delivering a new university study hub in Elizabeth. It brings uni closer to where people live so they can balance work, study and family more easily, without having to trek into the city. It will also help more people from Spence get a fair crack at going to uni.”
“It also cuts the minimum and annual repayments Australians with a student debt have to make every year. In other words it means if you have a HECS debt you'll have to pay less back each year. For someone making $70,000, these changes will reduce HECS payments by $1,300 a year. It means that you only have to start paying off your uni degree when uni starts to pay off for you. That puts money back in the pockets of people who are just out of uni, just moving out of home, just getting started in life. That's why I really care about this—not because it was recommended in a review but because it will make people's lives just a little bit easier. That's why we should all be in here in this place. If that's not why you're here serving this parliament, serving your constituency, it's time to reconsider your priorities.”
“Millions of Australians voted to make this cut a reality, so you would think that the Liberal Party would have heard what people said and changed their tune before coming to Canberra this week. You would think that they would support this, and we had a reason to believe they would when the opposition leader said that they would wave it through. But then on Monday one of the members in this place called 20 per cent off student debt grossly unfair. To them I say this: I hope you have the hide to say that to the over 19,000 people in Spence whose student debt will be cut when this bill passes or the over 470,000 teachers, 300,000 nurses and midwives and 210,000 aged-care workers and disability carers that will benefit from this cut. This bill does something else too.”
“This bill delivers on our election commitment to cut all student debt by 20 per cent. No matter your degree, your speciality, your pathway or whether you completed your degree, if you have a HECS debt you will benefit from this bill. This isn't just limited to HECS debt. If you have a VET or TAFE loan, those debts will also be reduced by 20 per cent. This is real cost-of-living relief for three million Australians with student debt. Whether you're fresh out of studying and into a new job, saving to buy a home and live out the Australian dream or juggling a mortgage or a family or even both, we know that every little bit helps. Not everyone gets that, though. Before the election, the Liberals called this relief 'profoundly unfair'. They opposed it and said that they would not do the same if they won on 3 May.”