Andrew McLachlan (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families and Social Services, Senator Ruston. What is the Morrison government doing to ensure families can give their children the best possible start in life?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator McLachlan, for what is probably one of the most important questions you could ask, and that is: how do we support our children and make sure that we have well-functioning families to ensure that that support is able to be delivered? We know that children's development and growth is so important to what happens to them later in life.

Each year, the federal government invests more than $260 million in early intervention and prevention services under Families and Children Activity and Family Mental Health Support Services. The programs we invest in as a government are about giving children the best possible start in life. Early support for families plays a really important role in making sure that we prevent family breakdown, child neglect, family violence, substance abuse and mental illness and, of course, making sure that the transitioning of young children into school is the highest possible priority for any child.

The flow-on effects of this are really very clear. It builds protections, skills and resilience in our young people so that they can go off into their lives and we can avoid intergenerational disadvantage, which is so, so important. Intensive family support programs are one example of the kinds of programs that we have been targeting. Early intervention programs, we know, reduce child neglect, by working intensively with vulnerable families to improve parenting capabilities. On top of this, obviously, a childcare subsidy is a very, very important part to help working families make sure that they are in a position to be able to access early learning opportunities for their children. We are listening to providers and working collaboratively to make sure that we achieve the outcomes for our children that we'd like to see. We know longer-term ongoing funding is absolutely critical to future planning. Over the next five years we will invest more than $1.2 billion. A major task we are now undertaking is the development of a successor to the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Ruston. Senator McLachlan, a supplementary question?

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think there is a program called HIPPY which is helping prepare children. How is it doing so to improve their learning outcomes?

Senator Wong interjecting—

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I can confirm, Senator Wong: it is a Brotherhood of St Laurence program, and it has been amazingly successful. The most important thing about this program, which goes very much to my heart, and I know it goes to Senator McLachlan's heart, is that it's focusing on giving the same sorts of opportunities for children that live in the regions as for those that live in metropolitan areas, because we want to make sure every child in Australia has access to the best possible start in life. In our home state of South Australia, Senator McLachlan, we're really proud of the Brotherhood of St Laurence HIPPY program and what it's achieving on the ground. In fact, last week they launched two amazing reports that show the success of the program since it has been in place, from the Murray Bridge centre and delivering programs in the Murraylands. I thank the member for Barker, who represented me last week whilst I was in quarantine, unfortunately, and unable to attend. The HIPPY program recognises the importance in rural communities of supporting our young children. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McLachlan, a final supplementary question?

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For regional families and children, what specific programs are helping to get kids and their parents ready for school?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This HIPPY program is an absolute classic example of the kind of program that is absolutely focused on regional and rural communities. It is a two-year home based parenting and early childhood learning program. It seeks to support parents and carers of young children aged between four and five so that they can actually assist in the learning of those children, sort of like the child's first teacher. It's about intervening early to assist in the growth and development of young children to make sure that the circumstances of a child do not impede their growth or their readiness for school. We know that, when young children first start school, they advance much more quickly if they're in a position to be school-ready at that time than those children who— (Time expired)