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

My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education. One month from today, the Albanese Labor government's changes to make early learning more affordable will come into effect. How will the changes benefit the Australian economy by unlocking the full potential of women's workforce participation?

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

I thank the member for Swan for her excellent question—indeed, a timely reminder that in just 30 days the Albanese Labor government's landmark reforms to early learning will come into effect, benefiting over 1.2 million families right across Australia, including 6,900 families in the member for Swan's electorate, 7,700 families in the electorate of Hume, 5,800 families in the electorate of Corangamite, 7½ thousand families in the electorate of Longman, 5,200 families in the electorate of Goldstein and 265,000 families in rural and regional Australia. It is delivering on our commitment to real relief to household budgets of families, who we know are struggling with the cost of living, while also improving economic security for women.

For the average family on about $120,000 a year with one child in care for three days a week, those changes will cut costs by $1,700 a year. That's money that makes a real difference to families right now. These reforms pay economic dividends right now, but they also build our country's future. They lay the foundations for a better future, giving children the very best start in life and giving them the foundational skills they need to continue on and be successful in learning and be successful in work.

We also know that early childhood education and care benefits Australian women, who are often the primary carers, because too often the cost of early learning means that women's choices to participate in the workforce or to take on study are limited. And that means that the economic benefits of women's participation can't be fully realised. Our reforms are going to unlock that full potential, boosting productivity by giving women and families more choice.

I know firsthand how important early childhood education was in my life, and the choices it afforded me—to go back to study, to go back to work, to give my sons a different life. I want all women in Australia to have that choice. According to Danielle Wood from the Grattan Institute, making early childhood education more affordable is 'a rare win-win-win policy'. It's a win for families, it's a win for children and it's a win for women.

It's also a win for the economy and it's a win for the future of our country.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the member for Moncrieff continues to interject, she will be warned.