Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Braddon for his question. He came to this parliament after a proud track record in education, having been a school teacher and a school principal, and in this place he has pursued education issues because of his passion and enthusiasm to make sure that every child gets a great education. As I have said, my vision, the government’s vision, for the future of this country is that we have a strong economy that is ready for the challenges of the future and that we have the benefit of opportunities for all Australians—that every Australian gets the opportunity to succeed and prosper. But the truth is that in our nation today there are children who do not get a fair opportunity to succeed and prosper because there are children who do not get a great quality education. As a government we have set about, reform by reform, piece by piece, transforming that. We have understood that in order to make sure every child gets a great opportunity you need to start with early childhood education. We have invested in making sure that children in the year before formal school get the benefits of preschool and early education that are vital to ensuring that kids get a good opportunity in life.

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