Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Macarthur for raising this important motion. The health and wellbeing of children is a very important issue to me and to other members of the LNP team and the Morrison government. We are committed to continuously improving standards for Australian families. Rightly, the member for Macarthur's motion speaks about the first 1000 days and the absolutely pivotal influence they play on our children, from preconception right through early childhood.

It matters what we as adults do, even before we might be thinking about being parents. As is the case for many MPs, I know that for me the big driver in entering this place was my own family: my wife, Maddie, my four-year-old son, Theo, and my one-year-old daughter, Izzie. They're the most important part of my life, and what I strife for, as do all parents, is the betterment of the future of my children. Above all, we want them healthy and safe, and that's what we devote a lot of our work in this place to. Any parent will tell you just how amazing it is to watch your kids grow up and learn, but just how quickly it goes and how quickly they pick up new skills. Even the difference in their development from the time I leave for a sitting fortnight to the time I return amazes me.

The health of our children starts even before birth, with preconception and during pregnancy. This is a time that can be incredibly stressful and uneasy for many couples as they navigate it. I'm proud to be part of a government that continues to invest more in support services for pregnant women and their partners and families, and for those who are trying to conceive. Trying to conceive isn't easy for every couple. It doesn't just happen. My wife and I know this firsthand, and we've spoken about this. Often this journey can be a tough one for couples, and many experience early pregnancy loss, which is why we have been working with the Pink Elephants Support Network to get two days of paid leave into law for those who experience early pregnancy loss. That has now occurred, and that's an achievement that this parliament can be proud of. It builds on many important initiatives, including the YourIVFSuccess website, the development of pregnancy care guidelines and national help lines, videos and website services for women through pregnancy to birth and baby.

We believe it is critically important to support pregnant women and their partners to improve health in that first 1,000 days. We know that raising happy, healthy children means fewer chronic conditions later on in life. Conditions like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and mental health conditions that develop in adulthood can be linked back to experience in early childhood. We want to empower parents to maximise healthy development and to make the best choices for their own family that allow them to do that. We want to tackle mental health and identify risky behaviours as soon as possible so that we can assist parents to address this for themselves so that they can in turn help with the development of their kids. Our National Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is prevention focused. It promotes wellbeing of all children, from birth, and enables access to early intervention. We're making it easier for more children and families to get help when they need it most, particularly in this early period.

We believe it takes a village to raise a child, so we're also aware of the importance of school and early learning settings and how we can better use these environments to support our kids as a community, together. There are many stakeholders in a kid's life—their parents, their family, their friends, their teachers, their doctors and their peers—and we all have a responsibility to our Aussie kids to ensure their development in the first 1,000 days is as positive as possible.

Also important to me is the safety of our kids and Australian families. We need to do everything we possibly can to keep our kids safe, and that includes being safe online and safe navigating the world of technology. Even in that first 1,000 days, it is not unusual for a child to be introduced to technology in one way, shape or form, and the education around safe use of technology starts in those early days and is important as children go through, particularly up to the age of 12. The Morrison government recognises the dangerous impacts on mental health that can come online and the need to make sure that our kids have the opportunity to protect themselves and that parents have the opportunity to protect their kids from sinister online intentions. The threat is a very real one. That's why we commissioned the eSafety Commissioner, and she provides a vast array of resources that parents can access to help ensure that their kids and their family are safe online.

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