Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have received a letter from the honourable member for Kingston proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:

The Government’s failure to invest in Australian preschools.

I call upon those members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.

More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know that the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison governments have not been consistent on many things, but one thing they have been consistent on is their failure on preschools and preschool children. There is a long list of policy failures and neglect from this shambolic government, but their disregard for preschools is surely one of their most concerning failures. They simply refuse to provide any certainty for our preschools and they use them as pawns to inflate their budget position. We hear the same story year after year: after educators, teachers, state governments and families rally at Parliament House and rally around the country, begging for more money, the government begrudgingly roll over one-year stopgap funding to preschools. This creates massive uncertainty for preschools and kindies right across this country, but, importantly, it's creating massive uncertainty for families. Families who want to give their children the best start to life are uncertain about where the government stands when it comes to funding for their children.

As it stands now, preschools are funded for only another year, until the end of 2019. This is convenient timing because, by funding preschools until the end of 2019 only, the government conveniently get to the other side of an election, and we know that in their forward estimates, in their own budget papers, there is no money in the budget after 2019. What does this mean? What does this mean for families and preschools? How are they able to plan for their future? I have been speaking with preschools. They want to plan for 2020. They want to enrol children now for 2020, but they can't. They can't because the government have failed to provide them any certainty. They can't sign leases, they can't recruit teachers and they do not know where their funding will come from after this year. This is not good enough. It is not good enough for the 350,000 preschoolers and their families that are constantly left in limbo by this government.

On Monday in question time, the Treasurer was asked to guarantee funding for preschools. What we got was a lot of hot air and a lot of waffle but absolutely no guarantees whatsoever—no commitment, no guarantees, nothing to give families any comfort and nothing to give our preschools and kindies any comfort at all. The government have stated on many occasions the importance of giving funding certainty to non-government schools and they have said that it is important to give them certainty for a decade. Of course, we on this side have supported that. But what we haven't supported is the fact that, if it is good enough for non-government schools, then it is good enough for our public schools and it is good enough for our preschools. Why should there be a different standard for our preschools? The only guarantee from this government is that, for the nation's four-year-olds, there is no money in the budget next year. It is a simple fact. No matter what the government members will tell you, no matter what the minister wants to tell you, the truth lies in the budget papers. After calendar year 2019, there are zero dollars in the budget. There are zero dollars in the budget for 2021. There are zero dollars in the budget for 2021-22.

We know that some members of this government have trouble counting. The member for Dickson and the member for Deakin can't always line their numbers up. But hopefully, for government members, it is not hard to understand that zero dollars for our preschools means there is no money available from the Commonwealth. And, unless this cut is reversed, every child now under the age of two will not receive preschool funding; they will not be supported by this government and their families will not be supported by this government.

The last minister for education liked to use preschool attendance data as his excuse for not committing funding to the program. He said he wanted to go and negotiate with the states and territories. I am not sure what this new minister is going to do when he walks into the states and territories meeting—that is, if it goes ahead—sits down with them and says, 'I am here to negotiate. I am here to negotiate over zero dollars. We are not prepared to give you any money whatsoever.' I am not sure what the reaction is going to be, but I assume that the state ministers may not turn up to that meeting.

We know on this side of the House how important quality early childhood education is. It leads to a range of better educational, social and health outcomes for children later in life. It literally lays down the foundation. The Labor Party get it. We understood this when we introduced universal access to preschool when we were in government and we understand it now. That is why we have been proud to commit to ongoing permanent funding for four-year-olds. No more will preschools and families and states have to go cap in hand to Canberra every year, begging this minister for some consideration. Our teachers and our preschools can get on with the job, and parents can have certainty that their child will access early education.

For the first time, we will extend the program to three-year-olds, giving Australian children access to 15 hours of subsidised early learning in the two years before school. This is so we can give our children the best start to life. We are also going to reinstate the $20 million of funding that was cut by the Liberals that ensures there is quality in our preschools and in our early learning centres, quality that ensures that inspections and assessments take place to lift up the quality of our early learning in Australia. This is not a priority for the government. Unfortunately, without any notice, they cut this money, leaving states and territories in the lurch.

Labor is proposing one of the biggest investments in early childhood education, and many, many people think that is a great thing. The Australian Childcare Alliance said it is 'a great outcome for Australian families'. The Early Learning Association Australia are 'thrilled'. They said:

… after more than eight years of research and debate, early learning service providers and families will finally have some certainty …

Early Childhood Australia said it is a very welcome announcement. The Parenthood said parents will welcome this announcement. The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia said they were 'excited about the commitment to extend access to three-year-olds from 2021'. They said:

The evidence is overwhelming that two years of access to early learning dramatically improves children's lifelong education, health, wellbeing and employment outcomes.

Ross Gittins, in The Sydney Morning Herald, wrote:

… I can't think of any other single initiative more likely to benefit us socially and economically.

There is only one group in Australia that does not welcome Labor's announcement. There's one group that has said this is too costly and not worth doing, and that is the Liberal and National government of Australia. And shame on you!

Unlike the government, we do not see early learning and investing in our children as a cost; we see it as an investment. It is happening around the world, in the UK, Ireland, France and New Zealand—in China. Everyone is acting on this, because they know it is a smart investment. They know that it is a good investment and it will lead to better outcomes. The only people who are denying our children permanent funding for four-year-olds, certainty when it comes to preschool, are the government. They are the only group in this country who refuse to understand and talk about its importance.

I invite the government, I invite the new minister: if you want a tutorial, I am happy to give you a tutorial about the benefits—the economic benefits, the benefits for families, the benefits for children and the benefits across our society. Of course, what would be best would be that he stopped his rhetoric and the government stopped denying these benefits and actually acted. I say to those opposite: join with us and give the parents of four-year-olds the certainty that they deserve; put permanent funding in the budget. There is a time coming up when you will have the opportunity to do that. It is called the MYEFO, the budget midyear statement. Put the money in so that preschools around this country have certainty and, while you're at it, fund preschool for three-year-olds as well. That way, together, we can invest in the children of this country. (Time expired)

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank the shadow minister for her contribution, and can I say that we on this side of the House also believe that we should invest in preschool, that we should invest in early childhood education. But we want to make sure that the return on that investment is one that will lead to our children improving their educational opportunities, improving their educational results and going on to make a significant contribution to this nation.

The Australian government currently, in 2018-19, is funding preschool to the tune of $870 million. It's worth remembering, of course, when we talk about this investment, that the Commonwealth is funding a contribution to states and territories, as they are primarily responsible for preschool education. Next year alone, the government will provide more than $440 million to states and territories, benefiting almost 350,000 young Australians—an incredibly important contribution. This funding, along with contributions from state and territory governments, ensures that all children can participate in 15 hours a week of quality preschool in the year before they start school. Since 2013—so since the coalition government came into office—we have made $2.8 billion available to state and territory governments through a series of five national partnerships to support universal access to preschool. As such, funding arrangements for preschool from 2020 are a matter for all state and territory governments and will be discussed accordingly.

The shadow minister referred to enrolment and attendance and said that this will be something that we on this side of the debate will bring up—and it is, because it is incredibly important. If we are to put this investment in, we want to make sure that it gets the best returns that it possibly can—especially when we are dealing with our children. That is why we want to make sure that what we do is not solely focused on enrolment. It is very, very important that this is the case. In 2017, preschool attendance nationally was only 70 per cent. Crucially, and more importantly, for Indigenous Australians this figure was 59 per cent; for those with socioeconomic disadvantage, the figure was 65 per cent. As I am sure the shadow minister is aware, when it comes to investment in this area, if we can lift attendance for those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, for Indigenous Australians and for those from rural and remote Australia, we can get significant benefit.

For the information of members, I want to detail some of the data on this when it comes to South Australia. In South Australia attendance is only 57 per cent across the board at the moment; when it comes to Indigenous Australians in South Australia, it is only 38 per cent; and when it comes to vulnerable and disadvantaged children, it is only 50 per cent. That is why this government wants to talk to the state and territory governments about attendance. It is incredibly important. We want to make sure that, when we are investing, we are going to get the best outcomes that we possibly can. It is important that we invest, but it is also important that we invest to get the rights outcomes. We want to make sure that that investment does that.

The shadow minister talked about people who come and support various investments in education. I could go back and say that for the Building the Education Revolution I am sure there were people that said, 'Yes, this looks like it is a good investment,' but then $6 billion was wasted through that. When it came to providing computers in schools, once again, there was a raft of endorsements.

Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a terrible thing to have computers in schools!

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, then why did the program have to be withdrawn? Because $1 billion was wasted on it. What you have to do when you invest in education is make sure you get outcomes.

Opposition members interjecting—

Those opposite are saying, 'Tell that to the schools.' I don't know whether those opposite remember, but I remember visiting a school and there were the computers lined up—there was no money given for maintenance; there was no money given to update the software—so the computers were sitting there in the cupboard. That was $1 billion wasted.

Opposition members interjecting—

The point I am making for those opposite is their schemes of just throwing money at everything—their Building the Education Revolution and their computers in schools programs—show that you have to target that investment. You have to make sure that that investment is going to get results.

There are Australians who work incredibly hard doing a raft of things and pay taxes; they expect us to make sure that we get good outcomes from that investment. On this side of the House, that is what we are determined to do. I say to the shadow minister: I began discussions with my state and territory colleagues when I met with them in Adelaide, and we had a conversation about what we will be looking for and what we want to see when it comes to early childhood education.

We have asked them to provide data on what they will be doing to lift attendance, because, as I have said, if we want to get the significant returns from that investment then we have to make sure that our investment in early childhood learning gets results across the board.

We want to make sure—once again I'll point to South Australia, because I know that they're doing very good work in this area—that we can work with them to lift that attendance rate from 57 per cent across the board, and especially when it comes to Indigenous children of 38 per cent and vulnerable and disadvantaged children at 50 per cent. We want to make sure that we're getting the results, like we are seeing from our record investment in child care, where we've seen the most significant reforms in child care that this nation has seen. Around one million Australian families who are balancing work and parental responsibilities are benefiting from this package. Why? Because it's targeted. This is quality, affordable child care. We want to make sure, for those who are working or who are working and earning the least, that they are able to get access to that quality and affordable child care. What we are seeing from that investment is proper results and outcomes. That is what we are determined to do when it comes to early childhood learning.

The shadow minister is right: this is a very important area. It's one where we do need to invest, and that's why this government has invested significantly, with $2.8 billion worth of investment since 2013. So our record clearly shows through those national partnerships that we are committed to investing in this area and working co-operatively with the state and territory governments to ensure that this investment gets the outcomes that it needs.

We want to lift that national attendance rate, which in 2017 was only 70 per cent, and 59 per cent for Indigenous children and 65 per cent from low socioeconomic areas. That is what our commitment is. It's a commitment to work with state and territory governments to make sure that the investment we put in will lead to the results and outcomes that will mean that all Australian children have a very bright future when it comes to their education.

Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Every parent understands and knows the value of early childhood education. I've seen with our kids the cognitive development, the foundational skills and social skills that are developed in a child when they get access to early education and structured teaching at an early age. We in the Labor Party understand the value of the skills, the hard work and the dedication of those early childhood educators who are providing that foundational education for our kids in so many settings and centres throughout the country.

We all know that unfortunately in Australia at the moment our educational attainment and results for particularly primary school and high school kids are failing. We are going backwards when it comes to international comparisons of literacy and numeracy outcomes for Australian kids. We, as legislators, as members of parliament, have an obligation to look at those results, to analyse them and to say that we're not doing well enough in education, particularly in those foundational years of early education.

What has this government's response been to this developing crisis in education in Australia? We all know that they've failed to provide the necessary funding to ensure and guarantee that four-year-olds get access to a program that guarantees that vital early childhood education regardless of where they live and their parents' income. This is a program that has long been funded in partnership between the Commonwealth and the states. When you look at this year's budget paper you see the commitment of this government and this minister to early childhood education and the funding for the four-year-old preschool program, when you look at the figures in the forward estimates. From 2017-18 all the way through to 2021-22 there is nothing but zeroes—nothing but zeroes in terms of the dollars that this government is going to devote to the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education.

Labor will act in the interests of children. Where this government refuses to guarantee that funding, Labor will act. Not only will Labor act to guarantee funding for four-year-olds; we will extend this program to all three-year-olds so that they get very important and vital access to those early childhood educational years. I want to congratulate and I also want to thank the member for Kingston for the wonderful work that she's done over the course of the last 12 months in developing this policy announcement. If we are elected at the next election and we get the opportunity to implement this program, it will go down in history as one of the most important and fundamental reforms to early childhood and Australian education in our nation's history.

I know that the member for Kingston has done the hard policy yards, consulting with parents, educators and experts in framing this policy. It's a great policy and something that Labor is very proud of. We will commit to permanent ongoing funding to the national preschool and kindy program for all four-year-olds. We will extend that program, right throughout the country, to all three-year-olds, commencing from 2021. We will establish a $100 million facilitation fund to expand capacity where required. We will ensure preschools and early education centres are high quality and safe by restoring the $20 million safety and quality framework that was cut by the Liberals. That is the commitment of the Labor Party. That is how much Labor cherishes education and ensuring that our kids get the best opportunity and best start in life through those foundational early childhood and preschool years.

We will even go further, because Labor understands the value and the skills of those early childhood educators. A couple of weeks ago the member for Kingston, as the shadow minister, announced that Labor would also scrap up-front fees for 10,000 early education students studying at TAFE, boosting the early education workforce throughout the country and finally recognising the value, the emotional support and the social skills that go with early childhood educators.

We will also work in partnership with the states to ensure that they're in a position to fund these programs so they can be rolled out across the nation. That is Labor's commitment to the parents and to the young people of Australia. Where this government refuses to act, Labor not only will act to restore that funding but will boost it and extend it to three-year-olds throughout the country.

Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Assistant Minister for Children and Families) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I feel like I've travelled back in time. It's as though we have regressed past the digital age back to the era of vinyl, because here today Labor sounds like a broken record, always preoccupied with spending money instead of delivering outcomes. Those opposite spend more time focused on delivering talking points than delivering for the community. Over and over, they skip and repeat like a busted old 45, reiterating the same virtue signals and trumped up attempts to blame the government for being prudent with the hard-earned tax revenue we are in charge of. This latest announcement by an opposition on the run is a cynical, focus-group-driven attempt at policy work. Mark my words, the opposition's theatrical policy has nothing to do with delivering for children and everything to do with delivering taxpayer funded jobs for teachers and preschool workers.

'But how will they pay for it?' I hear you say. The answer is: the same way those opposite pay for everything—put it on the nation's credit card and then tax us all to the hilt to pay the interest while borrowing even more money for other projects. As I get around any electorate, I haven't found a single person who wants to pay more tax. What they want is to be taken seriously. They don't want people to demonise industries they rely on for their livelihoods. They don't want to have major job-creating infrastructure projects like Rookwood Weir and the Capricorn Highway duplication blocked by politics. They want their representatives to get on with delivering jobs for them and to help address the climbing cost of living. Families are doing it tough. It's tough enough without also having to pay for the woeful economic management those opposite would provide. A household budget is a hard enough exercise without the extra taxes any government from those opposite would thrust upon them.

Having said that, preschool is, of course, an important aspect of our education system. The head start our kids are able to take advantage of is part of how we keep ahead of the rest. That is why the coalition government is committed to preschool. While investing record funding of $8.3 billion in the childcare system this financial year the coalition government is also delivering for preschool children, with around $870 million available to support preschool throughout 2018-2019. This funding for preschool is secure until the end of 2019. State and territory governments are responsible for preschool delivery, and it is not good enough for states to shirk their constitutional responsibilities. We have a Constitution for a reason and, if we don't respect it, we will leave ourselves open to ruin. The federal government will of course continue our engagement with the states and territories to discuss funding arrangements together into the future beyond 2020. With funding locked in until 2020 we have certainty and time for this work to be done properly, to ensure that future funding investments are aimed at achieving the best outcomes for our children.

By way of comparison, Labor's report card on education is very shaky. During their last term, Labor increased childcare fees by 53 per cent and allowed the taxpayer to be rorted and ripped off to the tune of between $6 billion to $8 billion as part of the white-elephant-producing Building the Education Revolution program. And Labor allowed dodgy training providers and third-party brokers to exploit VET students, leaving them with no qualifications and a mountain of debt. In one year alone, Labor tried to rip over $2.8 billion from higher education in a desperate attempt to achieve a surplus. Did it work? Of course not. Labor has failed to deliver a budget surplus since the late 1980s.

This really does come back to my previous question: who is going to pay? At this stage all we know is that each and every Australian will pay more tax under a Labor government.

Susan Lamb (Longman, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before coming to this place, I spent many, many years of my life working in the education sector. For a number of years I worked as a teacher aide at Dakabin State School, a fabulous local primary school that each of my four boys attended. Not long after working at Dakabin, I moved into the early childhood education sector, where I stood up for the pay and conditions of the educators who shape the minds of our children.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and from my experience I can wholeheartedly stand by that statement. I've seen just how important these education systems are for a person's future. I've seen firsthand the tremendous impact that educators and teachers have on the development of our children. I know for a fact that I can't take sole credit for raising young men as wonderful as my sons. I know it was the combined strength of many people in their lives—others who had a hand in educating my boys—that helped them grow into the wonderful men that I am so very, very proud of today.

My experiences in the early childhood sector, as a teacher aide and as a mother, have shown me how important a strong education system is, and how vital it is that a government truly cares about the education of our children. This is why I'm standing here today and this is why I'm standing on this side of the chamber: I'm standing here because I value education. I'm standing here because I know we need a Labor government, because it's only Labor that truly stands up for education and only Labor that's been showing any leadership—any leadership at all—when it comes to Australian kindergartens and preschools.

In the last few weeks Labor has announced the biggest-ever investment in early childhood education in Australia. While this government has made cuts to TAFE, Labor is scrapping those up-front fees for 10,000 early education TAFE places, which we know will boost the workforce. While the government hasn't yet funded an early education program for our four-year-olds beyond 2019, Labor has committed to permanent ongoing funding for four-year-olds. I want to be very clear at this point to any parent who might be listening and who has a three-year-old who is turning four this year. This government has put zero dollars in their budget for their child. Let me be very clear. If you have a child who is three and turning four, this government is giving you zero dollars for your child's education in kindergarten.

While we have a government here that's busy acting with less maturity than a three-year-old, Labor is extending the national preschool and kindy program to ensure three-year-olds get a head start on their education journey. Labor has committed to guarantee around 700,000 Australian children each year the ability to access subsidised kindergarten and preschool. In my electorate of Longman that will mean about 5,000 children, not a small number at all, and it will make a huge difference to their future.

I know Labor's commitment to subsidised kindergarten and preschool is a great policy, and it's not just my own personal experiences that confirmed that for me. I'm hearing it from parents. I hear it from workers. I've seen the data. So many countries have already expanded their early childhood education program to include three-year-olds: countries like the United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, Ireland and China. This government's short-sighted cuts are threatening to push Australia backwards, but what we need to do is actually move forward. We need a government with vision for the future that isn't afraid of making tough decisions, and we know only Labor will do that.

Only Labor is reigning in unfair tax concessions that predominantly benefit the wealthy, so that we can fund priorities that make life fairer in Australia. Endorsing our policy is United Voice, the union that stands up for early childhood educators, recognising how funding early learning will help tackle economic inequality, which continues to rise under this government. It shouldn't be the bank balance of a parent that determines the quality of their child's education. Only Labor truly values early childhood education for every child in every home in every suburb in every town, every city and every state.

John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome this opportunity to speak in this very important debate. I acknowledge the comments of those before me on both sides of the House for their personal interest in education—in this case, obviously, early childhood education. I share those experiences. I'm the brother and brother-in-law of teachers. Most importantly, I'm married to a teacher, and my wife, Anita, and I are in the final stages of supporting our children through their university years. One has graduated as a teacher and another is studying education at the moment. So I share that experience and I appreciate the importance that all members in this House, especially those of us blessed to be parents, place on education.

Preschool education—early childhood education—is obviously a most essential part of all of that. Part of this debate is about the budgetary perspective, and from an outcomes or priority perspective in education—the other part of this debate—you need to remember that we need a sound and robust economy to support priorities such as education, particularly early childhood education. That's what we have in this country: a sound, robust and growing economy. We need to maintain that, such that we can continue to support essential services and work with the states, particularly in the area of education. I know the minister has referred to the fact—and I want to reiterate it—that we have therefore been able to make a record funding investment of some $8.3 billion in the childcare system this financial year. As the minister said, funding for preschool is secure until the end of 2019, simply because that is the basis of existing agreements with the states. Around $870 million will be available to support preschool education in particular throughout 2018-19, and the minister has stated on behalf of the coalition government that he and we are committed to entering into new agreements. Those conversations are obviously underway—they're always underway—with the states.

The GST policy, if I can use one example, is proof that this government works with and supports the states. It recognises their priorities, their challenges, and is prepared to negotiate, to go through the tough discussions, and get the outcomes that we've just announced for the GST. That's important for the states and their funding, particularly for their role in education. As the minister said, early childhood, preschool, education funding or management, I should say, is a state responsibility. It's up to the federal government to get behind them, and that is what these arrangements are all about. The coalition is determined to see future arrangements focus on attendance, as has been said, particularly for the most vulnerable, the most disadvantaged, those who need the most assistance. That's important in regional Australia, where I'm from, particularly for the Indigenous students we want to continue to support into the future.

The contrast to that, I'm afraid to say, is uncertainty, because Labor's plan lacks detail. Who's going to pay for it? How does it go about implementing and getting the outcomes we want to see, like improved attendance? I acknowledge the comments of the member for Kingsford Smith, in terms of wanting those educational attainments right throughout the continuum of education in this country. Most importantly, that starts in preschool. I'm concerned that there'll be a blind increase in federal taxes to support such a policy, and we need more detail. I do ask the opposition, in announcing its policies, to provide that detail, at least in the interests of the states.

The coalition is focused on early education. We're focused on the family. We're focused on family businesses, particularly in regional Australia. And we've all shared the experience. It's important to us that we have that support in place. Just today I spoke to my daughter Annabelle, one of our six children, who completed a university exam this morning. It took me back, as I spoke to her, to the days when I dropped her off to preschool—long before I came to this place, quite obviously. It was important to her. It's important to all of our children. We need to improve outcomes, we need to support the system and we need to support the states.

Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition created a problem for me recently. As many people in my community know, people ask me, 'Why did you into politics? What do you want to achieve in your political career?' or 'If you were PM for a day, what would you do?' I used to tell them I'd do universal access for three-year-old kinder. There's a lot of nonsense in this building, particularly in recent times, but when you think about the big things, the really big things that matter to this country, when you ask yourself what will really matter over the long term—not over the news cycle, not over the electoral cycle, but over decades, generations—this is it; the evidence is in: access to universal early childhood education, high-quality early childhood education, matters. So, if a Labor government wins the next election and forms government I'll need a new answer to that question, because a Shorten Labor government, thanks to the hard work of the member for Kingston, will make this happen.

Like many of my colleagues, I'm a parent of young kids. Both of my kids are under the age of seven, and you get a PhD in parental guilt in this place! My kids share their dad with this building and more than 100,000 of my constituents. You end up worrying a lot as a dad whether you're doing everything you can to give them the best start in life, even when you can't be there. It's so important. We know that 90 per cent of children's brain development happens before the age of five. Both of my children have gone through early childhood education while I've been an MP, so I know how important high-quality early childhood education is. It helps teach kids the skills that parents can't—social skills, school-readiness skills, foundation skills for a life of learning.

That's why I am proud that Labor has committed to the biggest ever investment in early childhood education in Australia, an investment of an additional $1.75 billion into early childhood education that will deliver two years of high quality play based learning to support the most important years of a child's development, when they're three and four years old. Labor's plan will see around 700,000 three- and four-year-olds access preschool every year, including more than 2,000 three-year-old children in my electorate. The Morrison government, in contrast, has failed to extend preschool funding for four-year-olds beyond the next school year. They talk about certainty—if someone said that you had job certainty for 12 months, would you think that was giving much certainty? It's just not good enough.

They on the other side of this chamber don't get it. They don't get that investment in early childhood education is an investment in the Australian economy, in sustaining our prosperity. The European Union has found that, for every dollar invested in early childhood education for three-year-olds, $4 was returned to the economy. If you could find an infrastructure project with a four-to-one CBR, you'd be laughing all the way to the bank. Those opposite just don't get it. They don't get that investment in early childhood education would make Australia a fairer society. If you want to give all Australian kids a fair go in life, you've got to give all Australian kids access to high-quality childhood education. As a dad, I want my children to have the best possible start in life. But, as a Labor MP, I want all children in Australia to have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. Who a child's parents are and where they are born shouldn't matter to their ability to reach their full potential.

But in Australia today that's not the case. In Australia, the influence of a parent's income on a child's adult income has actually increased in the last ten years. That means that, if the parent earns more, the child is likely to earn more as an adult. That's not a fair go. Children in less-advantaged households are less likely to be exposed to reading. The best-educated parents are twice as likely as the least-educated parents in our society to read to their children every night. Inequality manifests early and it becomes more expensive to address with age. What kids learn before the age of five is the foundation of what and how they will learn for the rest of their lives. We know how important language acquisition and vocabulary building is in these years, but the non-academic skills are even more important—relationship building, conflict resolution, self-control and focus, skills that are essential both to being a successful learner and a successful member of our society. It's far harder and more expensive to bridge the skills gap in primary school, in high school, in university or in TAFE.

If we're serious about fighting intergenerational inequality, we need to start at kinder. We need to start with kids at three and four years of age, and we need to ensure that every kid in Australia gets every opportunity to reach their full potential in life. That's the kind of country that we on this side of the chamber believe in—an egalitarian society, a society of the fair go for all. I couldn't be prouder of the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Kingston for their work in this area, and I'll fight every day till the next election to make it a reality for future generations of Australians. (Time expired)

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I'd like to compliment the member for Gellibrand for his most genuine contribution. Thank you to those opposite for bringing forward a debate about preschools, and I mean that, because preschool is a most important time in a child's development. Studies regularly demonstrate that investment in the earliest years of a person's life pays dividends throughout their education and their life beyond. That's why the government is investing so much in this critical area of education. In addition to investing record funding of $8.3 billion this financial year in the childcare system, the coalition government's funding for preschool is secure until the end of 2019, with around $870 million available to support preschools throughout 2018-19. With funding locked in until 2020, we have certainty and time for this work to be done properly to ensure future funding investments are aimed at achieving the best outcomes for our children.

We are determined that future arrangements address issues in the current system such as attendance, particularly amongst vulnerable, disadvantaged and Indigenous children. We've seen results in terms of increased enrolments, but we need future arrangements to boost attendance and to ensure children are getting the best outcomes from their early learning opportunities. The coalition government is further committed to preschool in the childcare package that commenced on 2 July this year. We're investing record funding of $8.3 billion this financial year in the childcare system. The coalition has removed the activity test for preschool-age children to attend preschool programs in childcare so that preschool-age children can attend without the family needing to meet the activity test. These families can therefore receive the applicable childcare subsidy that their family is entitled to.

This is all excellent news for my local preschool and childcare centres, many of which I have had the pleasure of visiting just this year. Just a few months ago, I was at the Clovel Early Learning Centre in Eastwood to celebrate great local centres through Early Childhood Education Week. Clovel is an excellent place, with committed staff and wonderful children. They often say that the best measure of an institution is the longevity of the staff, and, by that measure, Clovel must come out near the top, with the education leader, Theresa, still working there after 21 years, and a number of other employees having been there for more than a decade.

Bennelong is at the cutting edge of preschool education. Our local centres, particularly the Top Ryde Early Learning Centre, have been integral in the trial and expansion of the Early Learning Languages Australia program, or ELLA. ELLA is a language app for preschool children, which, after its highly successful trial at Top Ryde, is now rolling out to schools across Australia. It has given our local children the opportunity to experience Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, French or Arabic languages through apps which are being delivered to selected preschools across Australia. It's a great opportunity for our preschoolers to make an early start on becoming familiar with another language, and I'm delighted that the government has invested $9.8 million in the languages app to help to revive language study in Australia's early education schools and universities.

Finally, another great early childhood program in my electorate is the wonderful CCA's Mobile Play Group. We launched their Mobile Play Group van earlier this year, and, since then, it has been providing structured play resources to aid early learning childhood development, and will develop skills such as literacy, numeracy, science, construction, art, craft, music, group activities and imaginative play. The van's mobility means that it can reach families across the electorate. The CCA has a particular focus on engaging culturally and linguistically diverse families, which is very beneficial in Bennelong, as we are proud of being a very strong multicultural community. CCA aims to have 50 per cent of playgroups targeting children and their grandparents of Chinese background, as evidence suggests that these families face greater obstacles to accessing vital early childhood learning resources. I would like to add that this project has only come about through a generous grant from the federal government's Stronger Communities partnership grant program, which makes high-quality valuable projects such as these viable. (Time expired)

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Listening to those on the other side, it's very clear: this government is like an old house with a termite problem; it's being destroyed from the inside out, eaten away every second of every day, and there is only so long you can keep pretending that everything is okay before you just have to knock it down and start over. Sure, you can rebuild the verandah out the front; you can paint the mailbox so it gets the Shaynna Blaze street-appeal tick. But, as soon as you look a bit closer, you can see it's a wreck. In a desperate attempt to stop it all from crumbling down, it seems they do two things: first, float a change in major foreign policy, hoping it will prop something up—anything! And then you accidentally support a white supremacist slogan, with your fingers crossed that it'll prop something up somewhere, too. But—alas!—no luck. An infestation is an infestation.

On this side of the House, we have a strong, united team, with a plan to deliver a fair go for all Australians, and I stand here proudly as a member of a team that has committed to the biggest ever investment in early childhood education in Australia. This program will offer every child, every family, two years of high quality, play based learning, to support the single most important years of a child's development. It's universal access for every child, no matter where they live. It will help parents balance the challenges of work and family life and help ease the pressures of their childcare bill.

I was in Bligh Park recently, talking to a mum of two children under four, who was providing a really rich home environment but wanted to give them the benefits of a quality preschool program, but she was struggling to afford it. This will mean that she and many other parents will have access if we win government and have the opportunity to implement it.

I just want to point out: this is not simply taking one policy announcement and saying, 'Here it is. Here's the plan.' This is a part of a holistic plan to look at how we can guarantee around 700,000 Australian children access to subsidised preschool for two years.

In Macquarie alone, in my electorate, this is greater access to early education for more than 1,700 three-year-olds. Not only have we committed permanent, ongoing funding to the national preschool and kindy program for all four-year-olds and extended that cover to all three-year-olds; we will set aside $100 million in a fund to expand capacity where it's required to help with the new enrolments and to help people adjust. We will also make sure that preschools and early learning centres are high quality and safe, by restoring the $20 million for safety and quality funding that was cut by those opposite. We will scrap the up-front fees for 10,000 early education students studying at TAFE, because that's how we'll build our early education workforce.

It's a well-thought-through package for the whole sector. I commend our shadow minister on her wok. It will reduce inequality in this country in generations to come. The change is so important and so integral to our children's futures, but those opposite just don't get it. The Liberal funding for the four-year-olds' program expires next year, and we know that there is absolutely zero in the budget to cover it. That's been confirmed time and time again.

Can I be clear: this is not just about mums and dads. Of course it's about mums and dads on one level—mums and dads who want to give their kids a high-quality start in life. But let's be really pragmatic and use the evidence base. A recent European Union study showed that for every dollar spent on early education for three-year-olds, $4 was returned to the economy. This is a damn good investment. You often hear people comment that they are sick of short-termism in government and in politics. Well, here you are. This is a long-term investment in the people who will pay taxes when we're too old to do it, who will look after us when we're in hospital, who will look after us in aged care and who will help us stay in our own homes. When the current crop of two-year-olds are 25, I will be 78. This investment is in the workforce of the future. It will help them thrive at school and it will help them thrive in tertiary education. Ultimately, it's going to grow our economy. It just makes sense. It is good economic sense, and if the Liberals were really any good at managing the economy, other than through sheer luck, they would have done this first and they would be supporting us now. (Time expired)

David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's obvious that there is universal agreement across this House that early childhood education is critical in developing the best for every child. I just want to point out some pretty obvious facts that have been distorted by the other side.

We are funding compulsory preschool of 15 hours a week, with $428 million this year and $444 million next year. There are also negotiations already afoot to make sure that the money actually leads to children attending preschool. You don't get any benefit from funding; you get benefit from going to preschool for those 15 hours a week. As the minister, the member for Wannon, so accurately pointed out, the attendance figures for 15 hours a week of preschool are notoriously bad in many states who are quite happy to accept the funds but don't ensure the children turn up for preschool. In some states it's at low as 40 per cent—in many it's 50 per cent—and the more remote and disadvantaged areas are the ones with the lowest attendance. That's why there are negotiations going on. In fact, the federal government never paid for preschool—it was solely a state responsibility—up until 2008, so we want to make sure that states are not taking the money without delivering the service.

Everyone understands that early learning influences the transition into school, but a lot of the argument is based on overseas experience. We have evidence, which many on the other side are familiar with, that attendance at preschool in the year before your schooling improves your NAPLAN score in year 3. There are lots of figures showing that going to preschool before your schooling means you are much more likely to finish and graduate out of school, less likely to drop out from school, and more likely to have better outcomes.

But there is nothing wrong with your early learning being delivered in a family daycare centre rather than a formal preschool situation or with your own family. In fact, there is a lot of evidence coming out of Europe, from Germany and Italy—I've got the articles here; I can show you later, Mr Deputy Speaker—that in some quarters extra formal daycare leads to a lower IQ down the track and that there is less beneficial social and emotional wellbeing and more aggressiveness in children that are in very long daycare. So we've got to be careful how much we take on as a state and how much we let parents interact with their children.

The evidence is that the benefit is greatest to the child where the parents aren't delivering that sort of one-on-one stimulation, play, interaction, early reading, looking at images and speech development. In remoter areas English might be a first language or a second language or third language. We have lots of migrant parents in this country who aren't fluent in English and theirs are the kids who will get the biggest benefit. That's what our policy is all focused on and that's why we are arguing with the states to get the attendance figures up, and we'll deliver the money.

The other thing that is not very well appreciated is a lot of these figures about attendance in the years before school are based on the European experience. Children in a lot of countries in Europe—and I've got some figures here—do not start school at 4½ or just turning five like here in Australia; they start at seven and six, so the two years before school are actually older than what we are advocating here in Australia. In Finland, school starts at seven. In the UK, it has been an issue in the press there that children who have just turned five shouldn't be let to go to school because they start their school in the middle of their summer, or our winter, whereas we start school in January, in the middle of their winter. In Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece and Hungary, they start school between six and seven, so preschool for them is when you're five and six, not four and three. I mean, we're not all going to end up rocket scientists and with PhDs because we have our children in preschool at the age of three.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The discussion has concluded.