Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the investments that the Albanese Labor government is making in the education portfolio, and I'd particularly like to make mention of my colleague Minister Jason Clare, the Minister for Education, and thank him for the significant work he has done over the last year to build an education system that supports children to play, to learn and to thrive.

Labor governments have a long history of putting the education of our children front and centre of all that we do. I'm proud to be part of an Albanese government that is continuing this tradition by taking action to deliver a stronger, fairer and more accessible education system than the one we inherited. With the latest budget, the Albanese government is taking action to respond to immediate education workforce challenges while building a better and fairer education system for the future. We know that central to building a better and fairer education system is investing in teachers, educators and support staff that make the system work.

This budget invests $72.4 million in crucial initiatives, including professional development opportunities, to support early educators. That package will benefit more than 80,000 early childhood educators, with a targeted focus on regional and remote services and First Nations organisations. We know that this will make a real difference for educators; we know that because this package has been designed in direct response to the feedback that I have had through my numerous consultations with educators, with teachers and with people in the sector, who specifically asked for professional development and practicum support. By providing access to professional development opportunities, we are making it easier for early childhood educators to progress their careers.

This package has been widely welcomed by key organisations, including Early Childhood Australia, the Australian Childcare Alliance and Community Early Learning Australia. The budget also includes a further $9.3 million to implement the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, building on the $328 million already invested. It includes $40.4 million in additional funding for schools in Central Australia, to increase school enrolment and student engagement and to improve learning outcomes in those areas.

In higher education, the budget delivers $128.5 million to fund 4,000 additional university places over the next four years. That will boost the number of graduates from STEM disciplines and support our AUKUS program. Of these additional places, 800 will be allocated to South Australian universities, with the remaining places located across the country. Importantly, the budget represents a down payment on the government's big reform initiatives underway across early childhood education, across schools and across higher education, ensuring that our children and our young people can access a quality education no matter where they live, no matter what their background is and no matter who their parents are.

We've launched a comprehensive Productivity Commission Inquiry into Australia's Early Childhood Education and Care System—a very timely inquiry, I might add. That review is a vital and important step as we look to chart the path to universal access to early childhood education and care. We're also looking to the future of the school system with our Review to Inform a Better and Fairer Education System, as it is titled. It's an opportunity to drive real and measurable improvements for all school students, particularly those most at risk and falling behind. We're encouraging teachers, parents and students to take part in a national survey for that review.

The other major education reform work underway is the development of an Australian Universities Accord. It's a broad review of Australia's higher education system and, again, another opportunity to drive long-lasting reform. An expert panel will make recommendations to government about how we can ensure that our higher education system meets the nation's needs over the next decades. We're very proud of these individual pieces of reform that we have underway, which I know will work together to develop a stronger, fairer and much more accessible education system for all Australians. This builds on our election commitment to make early childhood education more affordable for 1.2 million families across Australia. We've already acted to deliver just that. (Time expired)

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