Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

In beginning my remarks on this important statement, I think it is appropriate to first acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay my respects to their elders, past and present. I also want to do something which is probably quite unusual of late in commencing speeches in this parliament—that is, to commend the government. I do, however, commend the government for keeping these annual statements going. It is incredibly important that we make real progress in this area and I know that real progress is best made when we have accountability, when we have clear targets and when we have transparency about the progress we are making. I commend the government both for continuing these annual statements, which commenced under our Labor government, and also for not dismissing the targets that have been set and for ensuring that as a parliament we strive to do much, much better and indeed close the gap in all of these areas.

As the shadow minister for education and for early childhood, I am incredibly well aware of the unacceptable gaps in early childhood education and care and, particularly, in education results. Whilst, when we have these annual statements, we see the areas where we still have so very far to go, we do also see the areas where there is progress, and I think it is important to note this progress—to note that it is not all hopeless and that real changes and real progress can be achieved. I am incredibly proud that when we look at the targets that have been set in this parliament, which we are getting towards meeting, we can see that huge progress has been achieved, particularly when it comes to access to early childhood education. I am also really aware of the fact that early childhood is the key time when we can make a huge impact in closing the gap, and I would urge the Prime Minister to keep his bipartisan commitment and to continue the programs and the funding that were established by the previous, Labor government to close this gap.

Importantly, we know that we cannot use progress as a reason for complacency. We cannot take our foot off the pedal. We need to recognise that there is so much more to do. In the very first sitting week of parliament for 2014, many members and senators met with members of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care. We attended a moving breakfast meeting, where we heard firsthand about the absolutely huge difference that proper funding of early childhood education and care can make in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

We know that these Children and Family Centres not only provide a safe and loving environment where qualified educators provide a culturally appropriate education. The centres have also become a community hub for parents and carers who want to access services and advice for their family. When a parent is dropping off their child, they can feel comfortable talking about the family situation or about where they might be able to find suitable health services, get counselling for the family or maybe just get some great parenting ideas. So not only are the children getting a quality early childhood education to set them up for their school years, to set them up for their futures, but the families are getting extra support that they may need to make sure that these children thrive. This is the key to closing the gap in education and to making sure that every child has the best start in life.

We know that the National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood Development is due to expire in June this year and that this just compounds the uncertainty that is being felt by Indigenous childcare services. Responsibility for this agreement now sits with the Prime Minister and his department. We know that this national partnership was established under Labor to fund 38 Indigenous Children and Family Centres; antenatal, sexual and reproductive health services; and maternal and child health programs. The 38 Indigenous Children and Family Centres provide practical and daily support to parents, as well as working in partnership with communities to provide high-quality preschool in a trusted environment.

We know that these have been significant in improving access to early childhood education for Indigenous children across the country. We know that closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage means keeping open the doors of childcare centres, preschools and health services that provide support to children and families. And closing the gap is not just about continuing what we started. It is also about starting new services, more services, and opening more doors. We need to keep funding the Budget Based Funded Program, which looks at providing childcare services in communities where they may not be otherwise financially viable.

As minister, I initiated a review of the BBF services to look at how the funding had changed and how the needs for funding had changed and to ensure that we could make sure that there is support across the board where it is needed the most. I would urge the government to quickly complete this review and respond to this review and to ensure that they roll out more funding for Budget Based Funded Program services.

We know that it is really important that the BBF Program continue and that the National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood Development with states and territories needs to be upheld to ensure efficient delivery of services. Finally, it is essential that the coalition respect the individuality of each community, that they respect the decision making of community members and that they continue to provide these essential early learning services and provide certainty about them to these communities, who are incredibly anxious, as soon as possible. This national partnership must continue.

We know that education is the silver bullet of society. Evidence shows that high-standard early childhood education and school education lead to better outcomes in life: greater job opportunities, health and life expectancy. Yet we also know, when we look at our Indigenous population, that we have been letting them down when it comes to education and that there are still far too many dismal statistics. That is why it is no coincidence that three of the six Closing the Gap targets relate to education.

This year's Closing the gap report shows our progress against the targets. It shows that, in 2012, 88 per cent of Indigenous children in remote areas were enrolled in a preschool program. Data for 2013 to show whether the 95 per cent benchmark for this target has been met will be available later this year. We also know that progress against the target to halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy within a decade has been disappointing. I welcome the addition of a new target relating to school attendance. Whilst in itself it will not guarantee a world-class learning environment or huge improvements in outcomes, it is of course an important step in ensuring that these students receive a good education.

In government, Labor made significant improvements. From the 2006 census to the 2011 census, we saw an increase in year 12 attainment for Indigenous students. It improved from 6.5 per cent to 53.9 per cent. The proportion of total Indigenous population aged 15 years and over who had attained a year 12 or certificate II or higher qualification increased from 30 per cent to 37 per cent between 2006 and 2011.

There are a range of new initiatives and bright solutions in Indigenous education. But significantly we know that Labor's Gonski plan, which is now in jeopardy, includes clauses that prevent cuts to education budgets by state governments. This would mean cuts like that made by the Northern Territory government in their 2013-14 budget of $47 million in real terms would be a thing of the past. On the ground, that meant a cut of 130 teachers, increasing class sizes and a cut of total pay for teachers and support staff by $34 million.

Labor's Gonski plan also includes additional funding for loading for Indigenous students to make sure that every school can provide dedicated and focused programs to make sure that no child slips through the gap. Gonski provides up to 100 per cent of the funding for Indigenous schools that have been established outside the state sector, such as community schools. I was very pleased when the Prime Minister committed in the parliament last year to the continuation of that Indigenous Gonski loading when he said on 3 December:

We are delivering the money that will enable the loading to be delivered.

Stability is the key. Just weeks away from the budget, we look forward to seeing this funding being presented so that the Prime Minister does not break yet another promise when it comes to education and we can see this loading delivered in full. It is very hard to see how that is possible now that they have opened the door for cuts in state budgets and have said goodbye to state co-contributions, but we hope that the Prime Minister will live up to his promise to the parliament and the Australian public and that we can make real strides ahead when it comes to advancing the cause of Indigenous education.

See this speech in context