David Krippner is not much older than some of the disadvantaged kids he helps with learning difficulties.
The 19-year-old teacher's aide works at Byron Bay High School and he's seeing the difference Gonski schools funding is making to his students.
One of them, a 17-year-old about to graduate, was about to drop out until he was given extra help funded by the needs-based model.
He's now topping many of his classes.
Gonski funding matters to locals in the NSW north coast seat of Richmond, Mr Krippner says.
"It has kept these kids in school," he told AAP at the Kingscliff Sportsfield on Sunday.
That's why when Labor leader Bill Shorten came to visit, Mr Krippner got a signed letter imploring the students to keep working hard.
Mr Shorten has his eyes firmly on retaining Richmond with boundary changes loosening the party's grip to 1.6 per cent.
In another schools-related funding announcement, he was in town to pledge money to ensure every Australian child learns to swim.
It's part of a $41 million promise to reduce the number of drownings.
But it was drownings of a different kind that almost caught out Mr Shorten when he was stopped by a Labor voter worried about the party's stance on asylum seekers.
He has been under pressure on the issue after he was heckled by a voter at a conference on Saturday after a week of coalition attacks about Labor candidates speaking out against party policy.
Patricia Rowan implored Mr Shorten to change course and allow asylum seekers to be processed onshore.
But she concedes it's unlikely and in any case she admits it won't change her vote.
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