Six years on, I hear the news occasionally that another of my favourite teachers is retiring.

And I think, “Damn, that’s such a pity.”

Indeed, many of the teachers that benefited from the Whitlam government’s abolition of university fees in 1974 have now hit retirement age. 

These are the teachers with experience, these are the teachers who really know and love what they are doing.

These are the teachers who, in some cases, may not have been able to become teachers if they’d had to pay their own way through university. 

In last week’s budget reply, Opposition leader Bill Shorten announced that, to encourage more people to take on science, technology, engineering and maths degrees, Labor would forgo the student debt for 20,000 award degrees a year for five years.

It would also provide 25,000 teaching scholarships – worth $15,000 each – over five years to science graduates.

Sure, it’s not a particularly “sexy” topic – to say we need more scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians (STEM). But in a paper released by the chief scientist of Australia, it has been estimated that 75 per cent of the fastest-growing occupations require STEM skills and knowledge. 

But students in high school are dropping these STEM subjects like they’re last year’s iPhone.

There’s a growing disconnect between which skills Australia is going to need in the future, and the skills we are going to have. 

We need more of these talented, highly educated teachers to inspire the next generation, to help provide a better Australia through skills, research and innovation. 

While this may not be the best way to do it, it’s definitely a step in the right direction – and the first time I’ve been excited about politics for a long while.