CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Ms AMBIHAIPAHAR (Barton) (16:21): I rise today to speak on a very important election commitment, and it is very important because it came up quite a bit in the campaign in the seat of Barton. I'm delighted to welcome the Albanese Labor government's legislation to cut student debt for more than three million Australians by 20 per cent. This is a major reform.

This is practical and it is very targeted. In Barton, this will directly benefit over 22,400 individuals. These are students, early career professionals, parents returning to study and workers upskilling in a changing economy.

This reform eases that pressure. It gives people in Barton a little bit more breathing room to save for a home, raise a family and invest in their future. It's a policy that reflects what our government stands for: fairness, opportunity and relieving cost-of-living pressures while investing in our most valuable resource, which is our people.

Education should open doors, not chain people to debts, and I'm proud to be part of a government that understands that. I also want to reflect on a special moment in my community in the recent NAIDOC Week celebrations. It was hosted by 3Bridges back in my old stomping ground at Hurstville Public School.

This event was deeply moving. It brought together a lot of elders, children and families and some key community groups to celebrate the rich culture, strength and resilience of First Nations people. This year is a powerful milestone—50 years of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture and resilience—with the theme 'the next generation: strength, vision and legacy', which I felt very much throughout the event that day.

To see so many children participating on the very grounds where I grew up and attended school was a powerful reminder of how far we've come and how far we must still go in the journey of truth, treaty and justice. I want to congratulate 3Bridges, Hurstville Public School and my old council, Georges River Council, as well as all the sponsors, for their leadership, for creating a space for culture and connection and for reminding all of us that reconciliation starts in our classrooms, in our communities and in the way we listen and walk together.