Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education. How will the Albanese Labor government's plan for more affordable early childhood education benefit Australian families, including those with First Nations children?

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

I thank the wonderful member for Adelaide for his question and for his ongoing commitment to families and children in his electorate. In just over a month—very little more than a month—early childhood education and care will be more affordable for 1.2 million families in every single electorate across the nation, including for 9,800 families in Adelaide, 10,800 families in the electorate of Lalor, 9,500 families in the electorate of Gellibrand, 9,400 families in Bennelong, 9,200 families in Rankin, 10,300 families in Mitchell and 8,300 families in North Sydney. And there are many more, including 265,000 families in rural and regional Australia.

Cheaper early childhood education and care is not just good for the economy because it allows primary caregivers to take on more hours of work or go back to work; it's good for families who have faced increasing fees, often putting it out of their reach, and, importantly, it's good for children. Now, we know that First Nations children are twice as likely to be developmentally vulnerable when they start school, but we also know that early learning plays a significant role in school readiness and outcomes for First Nations children. That's why we introduced a base entitlement of 36 hours per fortnight of early childhood education and care for First Nations children regardless of their family's activity. But we've also committed to 50 Connected Beginnings sites by 2025, and we are well on our way to achieving that. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago I visited the Connected Beginnings site in Armadale with the member for Burt in his electorate and saw firsthand the difference that wraparound services that support families, that support a child's education, that support a child's health and their wellbeing have made to First Nations children right across the nation. We're doing this in partnership with SNAICC through the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership, which focuses on improving early childhood outcomes for First Nations children and their families.

The Albanese Labor government is committed to ensuring that every child, no matter who they are, no matter what their background, no matter where they live, no matter what their postcode, can thrive and can get the best start in life. Whether through more affordable early childhood education and care or whether through our support for First Nations children, this government has worked tirelessly to deliver our election commitments, and we will not stop, because we know there is more to do.