Politics with Michelle Grattan
News:Politics
As election year opens, Michelle Grattan speaks with Tanya Plibersek, Labor’s spokeswoman on education and women, about the opposition’s agenda in these two critical areas.
Violence against women is one of our society’s most pressing and intractable issues, and front and centre for Plibersek, who says there is a way to do better.
“We do know so much about what we can do to reduce risks of violence in interpersonal relationships. And of course, it starts with our youngest Australians,” she says. We “need to rely much more on parents to model healthy relationships in the home.”
“It disturbs me that the rates … of domestic violence don’t seem to be coming down and in fact, one of the few areas of crime where statistics continue to go up are areas like sexual assault. So we need to do better at prevention. We need to do better at policing and in our justice system.”
Despite these negatives, Plibersek sees last year’s March4Justice and increased public and media awareness as signs “things are changing, that our society is changing in a way that is, I hope, unstoppable.”
On education, Plibersek talks through the detail of Anthony Albanese’s announcement of $440 million for schools for improvements such as better ventilation and also for mental health and wellbeing initiatives for kids, so hard hit during the pandemic.
As university fees are set to rise for many students this year, Plibersek has said that under a Labor government Australians can expect “a commitment to a fundamental overhaul of our university sector”.
She says she wants to “make sure that every young Australian who is prepared to work hard and study hard can get a place at university and that no one’s discouraged because of the fees”. But although highly critical of the government’s controversial new fees structure Plibersek cannot give a commitment a Labor government would change it quickly. That would need to be worked through with the universities, she says.
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Antony Green, Professor Andy Marks and Ashleigh Raper on the NSW election
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chair of Retirement Income Review, Mike Callaghan, on reforming superannuation
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Greens leader Adam Bandt on trying to force Labor’s hand on reform
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Frank Brennan on rewording Voice question
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Kate Chaney on life as a teal MP
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Senator Malarndirri McCarthy on Alice Springs and the Voice
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Treasurer Jim Chalmers answers critics of his ‘values-based capitalism’
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Albanese flags new progress in China relationship ’in coming weeks’
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Energy crisis has ‘badly damaged’ social licence of coal and gas
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Niki Savva on her book Bulldozed, Scott Morrison and the Liberals’ woes
Politics with Michelle Grattan: ’Teal’ Monique Ryan on the Victorian election and six months in parliament
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Tim Colebatch, Kos Samaras and Sumeyya Ilanbey on the Victorian Election
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Karen Andrews on the Medibank hack, visa scams, and winning back women voters
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Energy expert Bruce Mountain on what to do about the gas crisis
Politics with Michelle Grattan:Jim Chalmers, Angus Taylor and Danielle Wood on the budget
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Rod Sims on tax reform and the gas price crisis
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Bill Shorten on NDIS reform and the Optus fallout
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on the National Anti-Corruption Commission
Ukraine ambassador urges Australian embassy in Kyiv to reopen ASAP
Professor Joseph Ibrahim on COVID in aged care - and the end of nursing homes
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free