Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Australians. How will the Albanese Labor government's cheaper childcare plan get more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children into early education and help to close the gap?

Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Reid for his question. It's an honour to serve with the member for Reid. I worked for many years as a schoolteacher. I've also been a member of the board of an Aboriginal preschool called Murawina, in Mount Druitt. I know how important it is for children to be ready for school. It is crucial in helping them thrive in the classroom and beyond.

Yesterday, there were 2,500 people in Adelaide at an international conference on education. I had the great pleasure of announcing that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children will be able to access 36 hours of subsidised child care a fortnight from July 2023. That's three to four days of preschool. These changes will benefit over 6,000 families. Importantly, they will encourage more Indigenous families to access early education and care, which is a desperate and important need in this country. It will improve jarjums' readiness for school. The term 'jarjums' is a very significant word in North Coast Aboriginal languages for babies and young people, and that's what I intend to use.

School readiness is an important Closing the Gap target, and it's an area where we went backwards last year. We are going backwards on this target, and this measure will address that Closing the Gap target. We know that jarjums are underrepresented in early childhood education, and high-quality early childhood education and care is critical to supporting children's development and future success. I am not telling anyone in this chamber anything new. Our plan is good for children, it's good for families, it's good for the economy and it's good for education in Australia. Of course, it's essential all governments work together, and they will.

There was also the announcement yesterday of $10.2 million to support a new early childhood education and care and development policy partnership. This is in partnership with SNAICC, and it's going to close one of those important gaps. This will put Aboriginal children on the path to a life of choice and chance.