On 23 May it was Public Education Day, a day when we celebrate our incredible public education system and the staff and students who make it so. I honour public schools every day. I have stood many times in this place—as have you, Madam Speaker—and spoken about public education. As a loud and proud advocate, I have no doubt I will speak about it again. Many members know that I was a teacher prior to becoming a member of Parliament. It is that lived experience of being an educator in the public system that makes me believe to my very core that good, accessible, well-funded and supported public education is the very backbone of our society.

Public education does not discriminate. It is accessible to all, regardless of disability, ethnicity, socio‑economic status, nationality, language, gender, sexual orientation or faith. I know that the world that exists outside of the school yard can be full of bigotry and prejudice, but if we can give our kids the best possible start by immersing them in a culture where acceptance and inclusion is taught as the norm, then we are providing a remarkable foundation for them to build upon. Education is a right and should never be a privilege. That was first recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago and has been reaffirmed multiple times since.

In a report released in February this year by the University of Newcastle Centre for Law and Social Justice in collaboration with the Human Rights Law Centre, a quote caught my eye: "A well-educated, enlightened and active mind, able to wander freely and widely, is one of the joys and rewards of human existence." The statement is simple enough, but the sentiment is powerful. To deny any child the joys or rewards of an education would be unforgiveable. If we did not have a public education system, then that right would be denied to many. I really emphasise that point because I think that at times public education and all those who work within it are taken for granted. We forget sometimes to acknowledge its crucial place in our society. Access to public education is absolutely essential. It is up to the individual to decide what to do with the opportunities that stem from there, but access without restriction or prejudice must be non-negotiable. Public education is the only education that provides that.

In my time in the classroom, I remember teaching kids who came from homes where they did not have much, or where they experienced some of the harshest realities of adult conflict and suffering. School provided a haven, and the opportunities that existed for them there expanded their world and gave them a glimpse of lives filled with different possibilities. I know school is not necessarily an easy ride for every kid, academically or socially—in fact, for some, it is quite the opposite. But with public education, they have a chance to grasp something that can level the playing field and diminish their disadvantage and the comparisons they face outside of the school hallways. Public education is critical in providing opportunities and a firm footing that every child can grab hold of.

I finish by acknowledging all the public schools in my electorate. The primary schools are Blackheath, Blaxland, Blaxland East, Ellison, Faulconbridge, Hazelbrook, Katoomba North, Katoomba, Lawson, Leura, Megalong, Mount Riverview, Mount Victoria, Springwood, Warrimoo, Wentworth Falls and Winmalee. The secondary schools are Blaxland High School, Katoomba High School, Springwood High School and Winmalee High School. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of those public schools, their teachers, their P&Cs, their support and admin staff, and the mighty Teachers Federation for the contributions they make to the community and, as their students venture beyond their academic years, the world more broadly. Here's to public education; may it go from strength to strength.