Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

MASCARENHAS () (): My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering on its commitment to Australian families to make high-quality early childhood education and care more affordable?

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

I thank the outstanding member for Swan for her question. Indeed, it was wonderful to visit Carlisle Goodstart last week with the member for Swan and the Deputy Prime Minister. The member for Swan, as a mother of young children, knows full well just how important it is to have access to good-quality early childhood education and care. I'd like to acknowledge the director, Carmen, and her staff at Goodstart Carlisle and congratulate them on winning a 2022 Goodies Award for the services they provide, through Goodstart Carlisle, to families.

From our first day in government, exactly six months ago today, this Albanese Labor government has not wasted a single day in delivering on its commitments to working families—to 1.2 million Australian families, right across the nation. We committed to making early childhood education and care more affordable, and we are delivering just that. We are easing the cost-of-living pressures on families, who have borne an incredible 41 per cent increase in the cost of early childhood education and care under those opposite. That cost has been a major barrier to primary caregivers—who are predominantly mothers—returning to work, taking on more work, progressing their careers or taking on further study. As such, the bill that was passed in this House recently is an important economic reform as well as a reform to give access to more children in those foundational years of early childhood education and care. It's an important economic reform because it will help to boost productivity as well as increase household incomes. But that's not all we're doing in this space at all. We have also got a review by the Productivity Commission and we've tasked the ACCC to investigate the drivers of costs in the sector.

We know, on this side of the House, that making early learning accessible for Australian families is about more than just making it affordable. It's also about ensuring that we have the workforce to deliver on our promises. We recognise how critical it is for a sustainable workforce in the sector, and I've been meeting with service providers and engaging with them and unions and educators to discuss solutions for this. We're moving on that.

We know that early childhood educators make an important contribution to the lives of children and families. We recognise that they're educators and they're not childminders. But we also recognise that this needs a comprehensive approach—a comprehensive plan and a comprehensive approach to ensure that every Australian child has the absolute best start in life.