I have always valued the importance of a good quality education. As the son of Egyptian migrants, who escaped a region engulfed by war, the education I received in Australia is what allowed me to stand as a Member of Parliament today.

Education opens the door to opportunity. It has opened the door for millions of Australians, regardless of their background – whether they are from the inner city or the regions, whether they were born in Australia or migrated here.

And it is incumbent upon all of us, who were fortunate to receive such an education, to make sure that more Australians are afforded these same opportunities.

We’ve Made Child Care Cheaper

A good education begins with good quality, affordable childcare.

The Albanese Government’s Cheaper Child Care policy has delivered cost of living relief for more than one million Australians by cutting out-of-pocket costs.

Between June 2023 and June 2024, the average family’s out-of-pocket childcare costs dropped from $4.22 an hour, to $3.66 an hour.  We’ve achieved this through increasing the childcare subsidy rates for all families earning up to $530,000.

That means, thanks to the increased subsidy, a family earning $120,000, with one child in care three days a week, paid around $2,140 less last financial year than they otherwise would have.

Australia is growing, and we’re going to need more early childhood educators to get the next generation of Australians on the right track. That’s why the Albanese Government has included the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education & Care in the Fee-Free TAFE program and funded a 15% pay rise for Early Childhood Education workers to encourage more Australians into an early education career.

All Schools on a Pathway to Full and Fair Funding

The Albanese Labor Government is committed to working with state and territory governments to fund all schools at 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS). That means $16 billion in additional funding for public schools, aimed at helping students catch up, keep up, and finish school.

Our legislation to increase funding to public schools across Australia locks in Commonwealth funding for public schools so it cannot go backwards, increases transparency and accountability of how school funding is spent, and closes the gap in education funding that currently exists between the Australian Government and states and territories.

Our children deserve the best teachers. That’s why the Albanese Government has tripled the number of teachers entering the High Achieving Teachers Program, which provides financial assistance, mentoring and training to get teachers into the classroom more quickly, helping to tackle the teacher workforce shortage. The program includes encouraging mid-career professionals and high-achieving school leavers to enter the teaching profession.

Fee-Free TAFE

I believe that all Australians should have the chance to seek further education, no matter their age, socio-economic status, location, or gender. TAFE courses make it possible for everyday Australians to change careers, increase their employability, or just learn new skills.

Australians are already making the most of our Fee Free TAFE places, and if the Albanese Labor Government is re-elected, we’ll make 100,000 Fee-Free TAFE places available each year.

We now have over 508,000 Australians enrolled right now in a free TAFE qualification. That includes 35,000 studying construction, 35,000 studying Early Childhood Education, 131,000 studying nursing, aged care and personal care, and all with zero fees.

In addition, the Albanese Government has rolled out targeted support for apprentices, with additional financial assistance to help with cost-of-living pressure and incentivise finishing their training, and financial incentives for employers in priority industries to take on apprentices.

We’ve also introduced targeted mentoring support services for women in male-dominated trades, First Nations apprentices, and apprentices with a disability, in remote Australia, or at risk of not finishing their apprenticeship.

Reshaping Australia’s Universities for the Future

We have a once in a generation opportunity to prepare our higher education system to be what Australia needs in the future. Over the next 15 years, Australia will need more doctors, more nurses, more teachers, more engineers, more of every job our communities rely on. That means more Australians going to university or TAFE.

The Albanese Labor Government has introduced the Australian Universities Accord to guide Australia’s universities and future governments towards breaking down barriers and ensure that Australia has the skilled workforce we require to meet the challenges of the future.

Guided by the Universities Accord, Labor has introduced a fairer Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) through reducing the indexation rate of HELP debt and wiping out $3 billion in student debt for more than 3 million Australia by backdating the reduction in the indexation rate.

And if re-elected, an Albanese Labor Government will cut 20% off student loans for everyone. For 29,676 residents of Wills with a student debt, that’s an average of $5,500 wiped from their outstanding student loans.

The Albanese Government will provide $428.4 million for a Commonwealth Prac Payment to teaching, nursing, midwifery, and social work students in higher and vocation education. That means Australian students will no longer have to combat placement poverty and ensures that students will no longer have to struggle to survive while undertaking a placement in our schools, hospitals, and care industries.

The Government has provided $350 million in additional funding to increase the number of students studying Fee-Free Uni Ready courses, enabling more students from underrepresented backgrounds to transition into higher education studies.

We’re establishing a National Students Ombudsman to allow higher education students to escalate complaints about the actions of their higher education provider, including complaints related to gender-based violence and other student complaints.

We’re also establishing a National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence, to give clear guidelines to our universities and student accommodation providers on how to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.