Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek spruiks 20,000 extra university places, $250,000 Mum's Cottage election commitment

At the University of Newcastle's NuSpace, the shadow Education Minister promoted Labor's plan to release 20,000 more university places over the next two years, which was first announced in December.

"Newcastle University is in a great position to get more of these new places. Right here, people are learning about nursing, teaching, engineering, IT - all of those skills that are in such demand," she said.

"We know that a lot of the young students that we've been talking to today are the first in their family to get the opportunity of going to university. We want more Australians to have that chance."

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Ms Plibersek said more aspiring students were being turned away from Australian universities than ever before.

"That is so heartbreaking," she said.

"It's so hard on those kids who've had a really terrible couple of years, the last two years of their schooling, the disruptions that they've seen.

"But it's bad for our nation. One in four employers will tell you that they can't find the skilled staff they need, and we know that we need IT specialists, engineers, pharmacists, nurses, teachers, all of the professions that should be being taught at universities like this.

"We also know from talking to students like today that those enabling programs that help kids who have tough time at school, become homeless, mum and dad divorce, being sick, whatever has stopped them getting the ATAR they need for university, help them embark on a university career."

Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon said the policy would particularly benefit First Nations students as well as students in the Upper Hunter, which "struggles with kids' retention rates".

Ms Plibersek also visited Mum's Cottage at Holmesville to announce a $250,000 election commitment to upgrade the family support organisation's building after a request from Hunter Labor candidate Dan Repacholi.

"Dan came to us federally and said 'look, I've got this wonderful place Mum's Cottage in the electorate that I'd like to help'," she said.

"'They do amazing work helping people who are escaping violence, helping people who are isolated, have repeated health and legal problems, helping the most disadvantaged people in the community, but they're in a very old building and with about $250,000 we can fix it up so that the people who work at Mum's Cottage can focus on doing what they do best, which is helping every person who walks in the front door'."

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