Tuckwell Scholarship mentioned in Australian Parliament

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, praised Graham and Louise for their generosity in the Australian Parliament last Tuesday 5 February 2013. Prime Minister Gillard applauded the Tuckwells for their generosity:

“It is a philanthropic venture of truly awesome scale. As soon as I sat down with Graham, I knew that I had found a kindred spirit—someone who shares a passion for education and for ensuring that people get the best opportunities in life. So, with a real sense of thanks, on behalf of the nation, thank you to Graham and Louise Tuckwell; thank you for what you will achieve with this money and thank you for the example that you have given our nation of philanthropy at its best.”

Mr Abbott followed the Prime Minister’s praise with:

“I, too, wish to congratulate Graham Tuckwell on his extraordinary act of philanthropy. Fifty million dollars to fund scholarships for people who might otherwise be unable to attend one of our finest universities is a truly remarkable gift to our nation. I believe this would be the largest ever philanthropic donation in Australia’s history certainly – in education – and an absolutely massive contribution.”

He continued by sharing his hope that the Tuckwell’s generosity would act as an example for other wealthy Australians: “Let us hope that the extraordinary example of Mr Tuckwell and his family is contagious amongst other Australians with the means to be as generous as they can be to worthy causes,” he said.

Watch Prime Minister Gillard's and Mr Abott's full comments in Federal Parliament