Anthony Albanese made Labor’s first election pitch at a major campaign rally in Adelaide on Sunday, saying he is “determined to win the election next year”.
A cheering crowd of Labor faithful welcomed the Prime Minister to the stage with cheers, claps, whoops and whistles.
Addressing his supporters, Albanese said his government came to power with a series of “challenges.”
“We came to this position knowing that this is a time of serious and urgent challenges to global economic uncertainty,” he said.
‘A global increase in inflation and energy prices. And Australia’s relations with our own region are under strain.
“And at home, elder care was in crisis, Medicare was under threat, bulk billing was in free fall, and real wages were declining not by accident but as a deliberate design feature of the economic architecture.
‘Our energy network had been neglected due to years of ideology and neglect.
“And skills and production became so eroded that in the middle of a global pandemic we were running out of masks and couldn’t make them here.
“These are the challenges we have faced. This is the mess we’ve been trying to clean up.”
Mr Albanese said Australia has “faced a global storm and got through it the Australian way, the Labor way, not by cutting the services Australians rely on, not by depriving families of help that they need in difficult times, but by caring for people and looking forward to the future.’
He said education was at the heart of his government’s vision for a second term.
‘Free’: Albo’s huge appeal at TAFE
Up to 100,000 Australians will gain access to permanent free TAFE across the country if the Labor government is re-elected, Mr Albanese promised.
He said the proposal would help more people gain the skills they need for a modern Australian economy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) pledged to introduce 100,000 free TAFE places a year during his speech at Sunday’s meeting
“More traditions to build our homes, more students entering the workforce, more caregivers to care for our loved ones, whether young or old, more opportunities for Australians to educate and reskill in a changing and dynamic economy,” said Mr Albanese.
‘TAFE gives our country and our people all this, and as long as there is a Labor government, free TAFE will continue to exist.’
Under the plan, 100,000 free TAFE places would be funded under the legislation each year from 2027.
Major change to $16 billion in student loans
Albanese also formally announced his government’s plans to eliminate 20 percent of student debt and reform repayments.
About $16 billion in student debt would be deducted from all student loan bills in existence starting next June, meaning the average HELP debt of $27,600 would be reduced by about $5,520 next year.
The proposal would apply to vet student loans, Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans and other means-tested student loans.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas (right) introduces the Prime Minister (left) to the Labor faithful during a campaign rally in Adelaide on Sunday
The Prime Minister (pictured) announced plans to cut student debt by 20 percent – around $16 billion
“It will be the first piece of legislation we introduce in the next parliament, the first thing we do in our second term, and it will come into force on June 1 next year,” Mr Albanese promised.
“This measure alone means that a typical college graduate will see their debt reduced by $5.5,000.”
Under the reimbursement reforms, the threshold would be increased from $54,000 to $67,000 and reimbursement rates would be reduced.
“This means if you make $70,000, you will save $1,300 a year in repayments,” he said.
‘It helps everyone pay off their student debt now, and it also gives every student a better deal in the coming years.
‘Permanent structural reforms to increase take-home pay for young Australians.
“This is about putting money back in your pocket and bringing intergenerational equality back into the system.
“Good for the cost of living, good for this generation and for generations to come, good for building Australia’s future.”
‘Happy to pain’: brutal warning to Dutton
In his own speech to the rally, Richard Marles made a scathing attack on Peter Dutton, warning that the opposition leader was “happy to hurt people” to get ahead.
The deputy prime minister told the Labor faithful that Mr Dutton “never pursued your priorities, only his.”
“That, he believes, is what leadership is about,” Mr. Marles said.
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles (pictured) said Peter Dutton ‘likes to hurt people’
‘Trying and cutting instead of protecting and investing, bullying and blocking instead of building, demolishing and whining instead of working.
‘Eager to hurt people if he thinks it will help him and willing to set the country back if he thinks it would help him move forward.
‘These are the people we will have to face in the next elections. That is our game and we have to win it because if Peter Dutton wins, the country loses.”
‘Reckless liberals have made a mess of things’: Wong
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, herself an Adelaidean, praised the economic performance of the Albanian government.
Senator Wong pointed to inflation falling below three percent last week and successive budget surpluses.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong (pictured) called the Liberal Party “reckless” and commented on inflation falling below three percent last week under the Labor government
She then turned to the Covid-19 research report, which found the former coalition government’s spending during the pandemic response significantly boosted inflation.
“The Morrison-Dutton government introduced too much stimulus, and Australians ended up with peak inflation at least two percentage points higher than it should have been,” Senator Wong said.
“Reckless liberals made a mess, Australians paid the price, and the Albanian government is cleaning up the mess.”