My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Senator Walsh. Today, the Albanese Labor government announced that the final Building Early Education Fund agreement was signed with the Northern Territory, meaning every state and territory is now on board. The fund is investing a billion dollars to build and expand early education centres in communities where they are needed most. What does this important national milestone mean for children and families across Australia, and how will the fund help more families access quality early education no matter where they live?

Thank you, Senator Whiteaker, for your question and for your belief that every child deserves access to quality early learning. Every child deserves a great start in life, but too many families don't have the option to send their child to early education and care in our outer suburbs, in our regions and in areas of disadvantage. That is why today matters. We have now signed a building early education agreement with every single state and territory—every state, every territory, every jurisdiction. This is a significant milestone in our delivery of quality universal early childhood education and care.

Our final agreement with the Northern Territory will deliver $8.7 million for a new 60-place early learning centre at Manunda Terrace Primary School in Karama. We want an Aboriginal community controlled organisation to operate the service because community controlled centres are culturally safe, trusted by families and deliver great outcomes. We've committed to building a new early learning centre in Tennant Creek, too. This means more early learning in the Territory, more places for Territory children and more support for Territory families.

Across Australia, we are delivering 42 projects in the regions and the suburbs that need them the most, creating more than 2,500 additional places, supporting thousands of children and thousands of families with quality not-for-profit early learning where it's needed most for generations to come.

Senator Whiteaker, first supplementary?

Minister, these agreements will deliver projects in every jurisdiction, including—as you've mentioned—in the outer suburbs, regional communities and rural Australia. How will this investment by the Albanese Labor government make a practical difference for children and families?

We're delivering for families beyond the capital cities. Around two-thirds of our Building Early Education Fund projects are in regional and rural communities, and 33 of them are on or near school sites. From Greenmount Primary in the west to Rosewood school in the east and Bruny Island school way down in the bottom of Tasmania, we are building early learning centres co-located with schools. For children that means a familiar environment and a smooth transition to school, and for parents it means a one-stop drop-off and an easier morning routine. For communities it means more places close to home. That is the purpose of this fund, because where a child grows up shouldn't determine whether they can access quality early learning. Every child deserves quality early learning close to home.

Senator Whiteaker, second supplementary?

The Albanese Labor government's $1 billion Building Early Education Fund is delivering new early learning centres right across the country. How is Labor addressing Australia's early learning infrastructure challenges, and is there anything standing in the way?

The coalition had a decade to expand access to quality early learning for families across Australia, and instead they cut the most disadvantaged children off from child care with their punitive and nasty activity test. They never made an investment like this to support communities who were locked out of early learning. Instead, they just decided to lock more children out of early learning.

Of course, One Nation would never make an investment like this either. At the National Press Club, Senator Hanson questioned why we even needed 'people with some sort of degree to look after a child'. She also questioned why educators needed another pay rise, which I hope will pass the parliament this week. That tells you everything you need to know about the attitude of those opposite to early learning. They won't deliver this sort of real change for families, for children or for communities. Only a Labor government is building more quality not-for-profit services where families need them the most.

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.