Jo Briskey
Maribyrnong · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“This Saturday night, the mighty Melbourne Vixens are back in another grand final, their fifth in seven years, and we're going back to back. Five of these women also put on the green and gold for the Australian Diamonds, arguably the most successful national team our country has produced. But here's what gets me.”
“Yesterday, that ask was again answered in another large step forward—the biggest expansion of paid parental leave since Labor created the scheme. This week, paid parental leave in Australia is now a full six months, 26 weeks, paid at a higher rate at just over $1,000 a week, with income limits lifted so more families qualify.”
“Superannuation now lands with every payday instead of months behind, which protects workers least able to absorb being shortchanged. Every one of those changes helps on its own, but, arriving all at once, they take the real pressure off working families. That is real change delivered.”
“Before I came into this place, I spent about just over five years as the CEO of the Parenthood, Australia's peak advocacy body for parents and carers. Our work focused on how we make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent. I spent many hours in this building helping amplify the voices of parents and the needs that they had.”
“But this government is changing it. We're funding pay rises for female dominated sectors like aged care and early childhood education, and the gender pay gap is the lowest it's ever been. This week, paid parental leave grew to 26 weeks, with super paid on top, so that raising a child no longer costs a woman her career or her retirement.”
“When it began in 2011, it gave families 18 weeks, and I watched it change households. I also watched how quickly it could be put at risk. In 2015, parents who used the scheme exactly as it was designed got branded double dippers by those opposite, as if caring for a newborn were a rort.”
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“I would not stand here today without the incredible support of Helene McNamara, Jane and Ivan Bertoncello, Rosie Spears, Marg Gannon-Blair, Paul Miles, Roy and Marlene Burrows, Mark Cassar, James Everard, Tony Nippard, Siobhan Loukomitis, Chris Blandthorn, Martin Schriech, Zelko Ivic, Ezio Paciocco, Virginia Wills and many others who worked on booths and street stalls, knocked on doors, made calls and welcomed me so warmly throughout the campaign. A special thanks goes to the Essendon, Niddrie and Melbourne branches for their tireless support and, of course, to the mighty Ascot Vale sub-branch, where a glass of wine and Marlene's delicious dip are paired perfectly with lively debate.”
“As a new member of this place, I wanted to make sure to thank the rank-and-file Labor members of Maribyrnong as it truly takes a village to get here. Mine represent the very best of the Australian Labor party: a proud mix of true believers, stalwarts of the union movement and young activists who see Labor as a vehicle for real progressive change. It is their voices I now have the honour of carrying to this place.”
“We are delivering a record number of home-care packages, and we are delivering reforms that put dignity, quality and fairness back into aged care. For communities like mine where families value staying connected, where ageing parents are the foundation of households and where diversity is our greatest strength, these reforms will mean older Australians can keep living the lives that they choose, surrounded by the people and places that they love. Every older Australian, whether they live in Maribyrnong or Mayo, deserves nothing less.”
“The new Aged Care Act will ensure culturally appropriate care is front and centre so older people in communities like mine can age with dignity, language support and services that truly understand their needs. Last year we invested more than $400 million to make Commonwealth Home Support Program services more accessible. Through over 1,200 providers, not-for-profits, local councils and community organisations, we are helping older Australians remain in their homes and communities for longer. Under Labor's reforms, the CHSP will transition into the new Support at Home program, creating a simpler, fairer and more equitable system that gives older people greater choice and control. The message is simple: Labor is delivering more care for more Australians than ever before.”
“It means that they can employ staff, expand services and give families confidence that their loved ones will be looked after properly. As part of Labor's $5.6 billion aged-care reform package, we are also delivering $300 million in capital support for providers in regional, rural and remote Australia, funding construction upgrades and expansion of services, and $637 million to ensure home care is available in remote communities and for people with diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Maribyrnong is home to a vibrant multicultural community, most notably the Greek and Italian diaspora. Our community has been built by generations of migrants, and today many of those same families are caring for ageing parents and grandparents.”
“That's why Labor is investing more than $1 billion every single year to strengthen services in regional, rural and remote areas, and this year alone $2.3 billion will support providers in thin markets, including $840 million in extra funding for residential aged-care providers in the regions, better reflecting the true cost of care, and $490 million for integrated health and aged-care services for more than 5,000 people and for culturally safe care for around 2,000 First Nations elders. In Maribyrnong, I've spoken with local aged-care providers and community organisations, from small multicultural groups in suburbs like Essendon and Keilor East to larger residential homes in Flemington and Ascot Vale. They tell me that funding certainly matters.”
“That's real investment delivering real care to more people than ever before. Crucially, older Australians assessed as high priority will continue to receive their package within a month. That's peace of mind for families and peace of mind for carers. From 1 November, under the new Support at Home program, more than 80,000 new home-care places will be rolled out in the first 12 months. Until then, our No. 1 priority is ensuring continuity of care for every older person already receiving services. Every older Australian deserves access to high-quality aged care no matter where they live or what kind of care they need.”
“Families in my community tell me time and time again how important it is that their loved ones can get the right support to stay at home longer, because home is where they feel most connected, most independent and most valued. That's why these reforms matter. Today around 300,000 people across Australia access a home-care package, double the number just five years ago. In Maribyrnong, thousands of older residents rely on home-care services every single day. These packages are the differences between independence and isolation and the difference between someone being able to cook a meal in their own kitchen and being forced prematurely into residential care. Last year alone, the government invested more than $8 billion into home-care packages, compared to just over $1 billion a decade ago.”
“The No.1 recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was clear: deliver a new aged care act that puts older people at the very centre of the system. That's exactly what this Labor government is delivering on 1 November this year. This isn't tinkering around the edges; these are once-in-a-generation reforms—reforms that will deliver world-class aged care to the Australians who have worked hard all their lives to build this country, including many people in my own electorate of Maribyrnong. The new Aged Care Act is the next step in Labor's ambitious plan to fix aged care. We know demand for home care is growing as our population ages.”
“My question is to the minister for housing, homelessness and cities: what is the Albanese Labor government doing to deliver homes that Australians need? Is the minister aware of any risks to the government's plans?”
“But we must also strike the balance, ensuring fairness for participants and protecting taxpayer investment and, importantly, the sustainability of the scheme for generations to come. This government will always work in good faith with the disability community. We will consult, listen and adjust where needed, But let us not lose sight of the bigger picture: these changes are about fairness, transparency and strengthening the NDIS for the people it serves. At the heart of this debate are Australians with disability—Australians who deserve the dignity of fair pricing, who deserve to see their budgets go further and who deserve a scheme that will endure for the decades to come. I commend the government's approach, and I commend this House to keep participants, their families and the sustainability of the NDIS at the centre of this discussion.”
“More than 4,500 providers attended virtual information sessions in June and July, and peak organisations such as the Australian Physiotherapy Association, National Disability Services and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation have also been consulted directly. We also know that there are unique challenges in our rural and remote communities. That is why the scheme continues to provide generous travel loadings—40 per cent in remote areas and 50 per cent in very remote areas, well above what is provided under comparable schemes. Where necessary, participants in these areas can agree to cover additional transport costs, such as flights or accommodation, to ensure access to supports. We should be clear: no comparable scheme, as I said, compensates travel as generously as the NDIS.”
“Let's not forget that, when those opposite were in government, they did nothing to fix travel access for participants in regional and remote communities. For them to now cry foul on transport is nothing short of hypocrisy. This government, unlike the coalition, is dealing with the issue honestly, ensuring fairness for participants while still recognising the extra challenges faced by rural and remote Australians. The changes we are making from this review mean that participants will pay fairer prices. They mean our frontline disability support workers will get the pay rise they deserve, and they mean that dodgy providers who seek to overcharge will no longer be able to do so unchecked. I understand there has been some concern around the speed of these changes and how providers and participants will adjust.”
“People with disability should not be asked to pay more than any other Australian for life-changing supports like physiotherapy, podiatry or occupational therapy. It is also not fair that high and unclear travel claims were eating into people's budgets, limiting their access to other vital supports. Let me specifically address the claims made in this motion about transport allowances. The facts are clear: no other comparable scheme compensates therapists for travel as generously as the NDIS does. Providers can claim up to half the therapy rate for travel time, around $90 an hour, on top of kilometre allowances, tolls, parking and even flights and accommodation for remote areas. To suggest otherwise is simply false.”
“It is incumbent on all of us in this place to ensure that the NDIS goes from strength to strength, and that is what this government is focused on. The recent annual price review was about making NDIS pricing fairer, more transparent and more consistent with what other Australians pay. The review analysed over 10 million therapy transactions benchmarked against Medicare, private health insurance and 13 comparable government schemes. It found what we had long heard about anecdotally—that there was an NDIS equivalent of a 'wedding tax' afoot and that people with disability were too often being charged far more for the same services, sometimes nearly 70 per cent more. That's not fair.”
“I rise to speak today on the motion before the House regarding the NDIS service delivery arrangements and to make clear the importance of getting these settings right for both participants and providers. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is one of the most significant social reforms in our nation's history. It is changing lives, helping more than 717,000 Australians with disability to live more independently, to work, to study and to exercise real choice and control over their lives. That is something the parliament should always be proud of. But we also know that, with such major national reform, we must always be working to strengthen the scheme, and I remain committed to playing my role on behalf of my community in Maribyrnong, those who rely on the NDIS, those who work in it and all involved.”
“The Albanese government has already delivered more than that in my electorate alone, having secured 379 new social and affordable homes across Ascot Vale, Flemington and Moonee Ponds. We are building more homes. We are making it better to rent and easier to buy. I know that many first home buyers in Maribyrnong are absolutely wrapped with our call to bring forward the start date of our five per cent deposit program. This will be a game changer for young people, new families, single parents and anyone who thought that the housing market had left them behind.”
“We have a current housing crisis in this country that has been 40 years in the making, and I'm so proud to be a member of a government which has a bold and ambitious agenda to do something about it. The reality is right now that, for so many, the promise of owning your own home has slipped even further out of reach, and renting is increasingly becoming more expensive and more insecure. The fact that those opposite did basically nothing in their time in government—let it get harder and harder for people—and now have the gall to obstruct our government's plan just beggars belief. I find it astounding that, in the nine years of that coalition government, many years spent without even having a housing minister, they managed to build only 373 new social and affordable homes.”
“That green-and-gold promise, that universal shield, means that, no matter your income, no matter your postcode or background, you can see a doctor and get the treatment you need to live a healthier and happier life. Medicare is part of our identity. It's part of our story, and this government will never stop protecting it, strengthening it and renewing it, because that's what good governments do. They listen and they deliver. Today this parliament takes another step forward—a step that helps Jess in Airport West refill her medication without fear, a step that helps Fatima in Ascot Vale manage her prescriptions and pay her next utility bill, a step that helps Lauren in Flemington continue to deliver affordable medicines to her proud local community. This is Labor delivering for all Australians. This is Medicare protected and strengthened.”
“Too many Australians have ignored chronic conditions because the costs were just too high. That's not Medicare. That's not who we are. That is the Americanisation of health care. That is a legacy of those opposite. By lowering medicine costs, we're not just helping people make ends meet. We're keeping people healthier. We're keeping people out of hospital. We are helping people stay in the workforce, support their families and live longer, better lives. Cheaper medicines aren't just good for the household budget. They're good for our health system. They're good for our economy. They're good for Australia. This is bigger than just medicines. This is about Medicare, which is a Labor creation.”
“What struck me most is how she has transformed a tiny shopfront into a community focused pharmacy—one that deeply cares for the people it serves and is driven by genuine desire to improve their health in practical, everyday ways. Lauren, like so many healthcare professionals, is the backbone of Medicare, and we must work with Lauren and all healthcare professionals to keep strengthening it. That's what partnership looks like. That's what practical reform looks like. , The principle guiding this government is clear: no Australian held back, no Australian left behind. Yet, for too many, health care has been a source of great stress. Too many people have skipped a script to cover rent. Too many parents have delayed refilling a prescription so they can buy school uniforms.”
“Pharmacies in Moonee Ponds and on Keilor Road and Military Road will all keep supporting locals with affordable medicines while being a part of this bigger solution. Lauren, a local pharmacist in Flemington, welcomed me into her store and proudly showed me how she and her team are part of the solution. She spoke with passion and genuine care for her community, highlighting the specialist services like compounding medicines and delivering vaccination programs in aged-care homes. Lauren told me how excited she is about this legislation and how it will benefit the people of Flemington in her community and build on the other reforms like the 60-day prescriptions and the freezing of the co-payment.”
“It was a decade of government that never truly understood that health care is not a commodity; it is a human right. Since 2022, Labor has been repairing that damage. On medicines alone, we've already delivered the biggest price cut in PBS history, from $42.50 down to $31. We've introduced 60-day prescriptions, saving people time, money and hassle. We've reduced the number of concessional scripts needed before hitting the PBS safety net, meaning free or cheaper medicines sooner, and we froze the PBS co-payments for pensioners at just $7.70 until 2030. That's Labor's record, and, with this legislation, we go further. Not only does Labor protect Medicare; we continue to strengthen it. Now some have asked if this will stop pharmacies from offering discounts on top of the price cut, and the simple answer is no. Discounting will remain.”
“Because of her illness, she can't maintain long-term work and the cost of her medications has been a constant strain. Alongside this medication, she also takes antidepressants and together these costs add up quickly. For Fatima, every dollar counts. This price cut isn't just welcome; it's life-changing. These medications aren't luxuries; they're essential to her health, her dignity and her ability to live well. This legislation recognises that. That's the truth. Access to affordable health care is not a privilege or luxury; it's a necessity. This legislation is another chapter in Labor's long story of building, strengthening and defending Medicare, and undoing the damage from the decade that came before us—a decade of cuts and a decade of neglect.”
“For pensioners, it's the difference between dignity and despair. If you rely on a script each month or if your household has two, three or even four prescriptions to manage, these savings stack up quickly. This is relief where it counts—at the pharmacy counter, in people's wallets and in people's lives. In Maribyrnong, I think of the families on tight budgets in Essendon West, students working double shifts in Moonee Ponds and seniors in Avondale Heights feeling the pressure of fixed incomes. I think of our migrant communities—communities who often face language barriers, cultural barriers and financial barriers to health care. For them, this is not just about cost; it's about fairness, dignity and equity. Recently, my office spoke with Fatima, a woman in her early 30s from Ascot Vale, who is living with a neurological disorder.”
“Medicines, bills and rent have gone up; wages have stagnated. This was the reality before Labor came to power in 2022, and that's why this legislation matters so deeply. This government is changing that reality. From 1 January next year, the maximum cost of general PBS medicines will fall again from $31.60 to $25. For the first time since 2004, medicines will cost no more than $25. That's not nostalgia; that's real relief. That's Labor delivering. As Gretchen Wieners once famously said in the 2004 film Mean Girls , 'That's so fetch.' Let's be clear. This is not a minor shift; this is a 20 per cent cut to the cost of medicines—a reform that will save people in my electorate of Maribyrnong $10 million. For families in Maribyrnong, that's more money for groceries. For students, it's less stress when balancing casual shifts and study.”
“For too long medicines have been priced as if they were a choice and, too often, people like Jess have had to make impossible choices: Do I refill my prescription or do I pay the power bill? Do I take my medication today or do I stretch it out and hope I can get through the week? Do I put my health first or make sure I have food to eat? In a country like Australia, people should not have to choose between their health and their household budget. We've heard colleagues talk about 2004—a year of nostalgia, blockbuster movies, iconic songs and the rise of new tech. Do you know what else was true in 2004? Back then the maximum cost of a PBS medicine was $25. Here's the frustrating part: for the nearly two decades since, the costs have kept going up, while the wages of everyday Australians have barely moved.”
“'I dread when I pick up my medication and there are just a few tablets left because that means I need to refill, and that costs me money I don't always have.' That is what Jess from Airport West told me when we were talking about Labor's plan to make medicines cheaper. Jess lives with a chronic condition and she doesn't have a choice about whether she takes her medication. Without it, her condition worsens. Without it, her quality of life slips away. Jess is not alone. Thousands of Australians live with chronic conditions that demand regular medication: blood pressure tablets, diabetes treatments, asthma puffers and antidepressants. These are medicines that aren't luxuries, medicines that aren't optional, medicines that save and sustain lives.”
“This project will simply 'bowl' you over with the major redevelopment of the Cooper Street site where all three clubs will come together as one. Then there's the mighty Gladstone Park Bowling Club, who have also received funding to upgrade their facilities and build a new synthetic bowls green. I look forward to working with these wonderful clubs to ensure that these projects are delivered. There are many more amazing groups to acknowledge, and I look forward to spending my time in this place talking up them and the incredible contributions they make to our community. Every group I have met so far has been inspiring, and it is an honour and a privilege to represent them in this parliament.”
“With a membership of over 80, and having been named in the top 10 men's sheds in metro Melbourne, I know that this fantastic local institution will continue to go from strength to strength. As I also mentioned in my first speech, we are blessed in Maribyrnong with great sporting clubs and even better community spirit. A fun fact: the Moonee Valley local government area, or LGA, is home to the most bowls clubs in the country. Everywhere you look in Maribyrnong, you are greeted with the bright-green lawns and warm hospitality that only a local bowls club can provide. I want to shout out in particular the Essendon, Buckley Park and Maribyrnong Park bowls clubs, who have received funding from the Albanese Labor government to help build a bowls super-hub.”
“One of the first groups I met with was the Essendon Historical Society, a great group of dedicated historians documenting the history of Moonee Valley. History reminds us all of the great legacy we have inherited from members of this community, and I take this opportunity to acknowledge the labour of love that Cate and the team put into ensuring our community's history is not only recorded but celebrated. I also had the recent pleasure of attending the 10-year anniversary of the Strathmore Men's Shed. This group is what community is all about. There is an epidemic of male loneliness in our country, but the Strathmore Men's Shed is bringing our community together by providing a space for people to connect and share in the activities that they love.”
“In my first speech to parliament, I reflected on how community organisations are the heart and soul of my electorate of Maribyrnong. Weekends are for local footy, soccer, netball and many more. There's hardly a vacant oval or field in sight. But, if sport is not your thing, then there are many other groups to choose from, from multicultural groups to conservation groups, seniors groups and many more. Without them, our community would not be the vibrant, happening place that it is and that I'm so proud to represent in this parliament. Since my election in May, I had the great pleasure of visiting many of these organisations and hearing from the amazing people who work and volunteer their time to make our community happy, healthy and connected.”
“I also want to take this opportunity to call out the investment in innovation, particularly prefab and modular homes, because Modscape in my electorate, at Essendon Fields, is at the forefront of that innovation, delivering faster construction of needed homes. I got to witness that in action and saw how it was working together—how fast construction is in building social and affordable homes that are being sent up to North Queensland. Labor is acting where the coalition failed and where the Greens played political games, because we believe that housing is a right, not a privilege. Everyone deserves a roof over their head, a place to call home and a stake in our country's future.”
“We saw the real-world impact our strategy is having, and it was exciting to watch the project go from strength to strength, delivering more homes in my area close to where people live and close to transport. Those who are familiar with my electorate will know we are proud to have social and community homes right across the area, which ensures that people from all backgrounds have access to good schools, infrastructure and community support. And our policies have strengthened that commitment. In Maribyrnong, since we came to power in 2022, our policies have supported 700 locals to purchase their first home, with 280 locals given opportunities to go into new social and community housing and over 5,000 residents receiving increased Commonwealth rent assistance. And we are delivering 1,950 new homes through our build-to-rent program.”
“We are supporting state and local governments to build social and affordable homes, so nurses and teachers can live in the communities they work in and not have to travel hours to support the people they care for. We're helping renters by improving supply through investing in build-to-rent properties and consecutively increasing Commonwealth rent assistance. We're helping first-home buyers to get a leg-up and be supported into their first home through our Home Guarantee Scheme, supporting them with five per cent of the deposit. And we're delivering $54 million to manufacture homes more quickly. During the campaign, in my own electorate of Maribyrnong, I was joined by the powerhouse of our housing policy, the Minister for Housing, Clare O'Neil. We visited one of the Housing Australia Future Fund's projects, in Kensington.”
“We created the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund and developed 30,000 new social and affordable homes—housing for people experiencing homelessness, women and children escaping violence, frontline workers and older Australians at risk of housing stress. This is despite the fact that we had the coalition and the Greens teaming up to block the Housing Australia Future Fund, but we got on with it. We pursued it, and I do appreciate the member for Macnamara's colloquial term of 'being a team of builders, not blockers'. Across Australia, our government is working hard to improve access to housing right across the board, because this issue is not localised to one area or one section of the population.”
“I'm really pleased to have the opportunity to rise in support of the direction our government is taking to tackle this housing crisis. The opportunity to lay down roots and have a place to call home is so incredibly important to me, the community I represent and to this government. After nearly a decade of neglect under the former coalition government, where housing affordability worsened, social housing stock declined and renters were forgotten, Labor is delivering the most significant investment in housing in a generation. I'm so incredibly proud to be a member of this government and to be able to contribute to this incredible investment. After those years of neglect, Labor came into this place and got to work.”
“My question is to the Minister for Communications. How is the Albanese Labor government protecting the next generation of Australians from the perversive pool of social media and giving parents across the country peace of mind?”
“Since their establishment in 2007, the Vixens have competed in two competitions, making the finals in 12 out of 17 seasons, and have featured 22 Australian Diamonds, with five currently on their list. They are the standard-bearers for sporting excellence and are an inspiration to young girls and women in my electorate of Maribyrnong and the wider Victorian community. This weekend, I, like so many Victorians, will be proudly cheering on the Vixens to lift the cup for the first time since 2020. Go, Vixens!”
“A 10-goal deficit, a vocal away crowd and history stand between the Melbourne Vixens and their place in this weekend's Super Netball grand final. Last Sunday, we witnessed a stunning fourth-quarter comeback as the Vixens put on a clinical performance to defeat the New South Wales Swifts by a single goal in the preliminary final. Not since 2018 has a team finished fourth on the ladder and progressed to the Super Netball grand final. Despite the odds, the Vixens came out on top. It should not have come as a surprise. The Vixens have won three of the past five preliminary finals, each by a goal, and will now face off in their fourth grand final. Despite the rise of other sporting codes, netball remains the most popular female sport in Victoria, and the Vixens are one of the many jewels in our state's sporting crown.”
“It seeks to reform a tired and frankly unfair system by implementing progressive changes that will make the lives of students just that bit easier. I'm proud to put my voice in support of this legislation and send a clear message to my community that this Albanese Labor government is listening to younger Australians and is working to make their future brighter and fairer. I commend the bill.”
“They lowered the HECS repayment threshold and used any opportunity they had to make life harder for low-income students. As their seats started to diminish one by one in capital cities across the country, as their support from young people hit record lows, did they learn to take younger Australians seriously? I'm not quite sure. Throughout the election they attacked this policy, dismissing it as profoundly unfair. They doubled down, seemingly, saying that there was no benefit to be had and, bizarrely, took to the election a commitment to increase student debt. Clearly, the Australian people did see a benefit, particularly young Australians, and voted accordingly. The people of Maribyrnong put their faith in me and Labor to be progressive and to undertake the reforms necessary to build a better future. This legislation does exactly that.”
“Labor fights for fairness. An essential tenet to our party is its belief in access to opportunity and belief in a pathway in life regardless of economic circumstances. That is why Labor has locked free TAFE into law, expanded the fee-free uni-ready courses and established the Independent Australian Tertiary Commission to drive reform of Australia's tertiary education sector. And then there's our bold agenda to reform early education and care and to fully fund our public primary and secondary schools. We are the party, the government, of education. We stand in stark contrast to the previous coalition government that seemingly made it its mission to take a sledgehammer to higher education. They gutted the university sector funding.”
“From next year changes will be implemented to the way universities are funded which will seek to help more people from our suburbs and regions get a chance to go to university, and from 1 July this year we will establish paid prac to support the 68,000 eligible nursing, midwifery, social work and teaching students to help them with their paid prac so they can get that done easily. This in particular is going to benefit Sally, another constituent of mine, who is currently studying nursing at Kangan Institute. Now that she'll get prac payments, she will no longer be faced with the stress of overworking herself as she tries to balance both making sure she can get those bills paid but also studying this incredibly important qualification that we need in our community. This will be life changing for Sally and so many others.”
“I'm pleased to continue my contribution on this really important legislation and to reaffirm the difference that this is going to make for John who I spoke about earlier. John from Airport West is a local teacher who has a debt of about $27,000 at the moment, but, thanks to this legislation, he's about to see that slashed by over $5,000. This will be life changing for John, and I'm so proud to see this happen. I am proud to be a member of a government that is committed to the transformative power of education.”
“John is a local who has made the most of our higher education system and is now giving back to his community in the invaluable field of educating our children. In doing so, he has amassed a student debt of over $27,000. But, thanks to this legislation, he'll be saving over $5,000. These changes will also decrease John's future repayments, leaving him with more money in his pocket.”
“Throughout the campaign, I doorknocked every suburb in Maribyrnong and saw the excitement many had when we discussed this policy. This is not surprising, because in my community of Maribyrnong, as I said, nearly one in four have a student debt. The reactions of those I spoke to were those of optimism and relief along with the positive reassurance that, after a decade of being ignored by the previous coalition government, Labor was campaigning to take action on the issues that disproportionately affect younger Australians. These are life-changing reductions, and everywhere you turn in my community there are stories that speak to how important this legislation is. There is John from Strathmore, who studied teaching at Victoria University and is now a social studies teacher at a local school in Airport West.”
“Essentially, this legislation will not only immediately help Australians but also help them to prosper in years to come by changing the current system that is unfairly based on their entire income. What's also important to reassure my electorate about is that this legislation is clear that the cut will be backdated to 1 June 2025, before the increase due to indexation. That means that indexation will only be applied to your total student debt after the 20 per cent cut has occurred. As a proud Victorian, from the education state, I know that this legislation will have an immediate impact. In fact, over 800,000 Victorians have student debt, totalling $23.2 billion. The average reduction from this legislation will be $5,755. This is huge.”
“By cutting all student debt by 20 per cent, we are making a significant investment in the future of all young Australians. We're cutting student debt by more than $16 billion. This is on top of the $3 billion we wiped off of HELP debt last term and the changes we made to the indexation, ensuring that student debt will never increase faster than the growth rate of wages. What is also great about this legislation is that it will make repaying student debt fairer. Currently, if you make over $54,435 annually, you pay a percentage of your entire wage towards your student loan. Under this legislation, the minimum income threshold will be raised to $67,000. Further, you will be paying only a percentage of the income you make over that $67,000, so, if you're making $70,000 a year, you will be paying only $1,750 each year.”
“I had the very good fortune of achieving a tertiary education, and I still recall the date that I finally paid off my debt as such a relief. But the reality is that now it is harder. It is harder for our students in terms of both the cost of qualifications and, more broadly, the cost-of-living pressures that we're under. In fact, both tertiary education and vocational education lead to good, well-paid jobs, an integral part of our economy, and therefore we must do all we can to make it more accessible for everyone. Student debt often leads to sacrifices everywhere, like homeownership, seeking important healthcare and every other daily cost-of-living pressure. While student debt affects many in our community, it disproportionately affects young Australians.”