Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I had the pleasure of attending Carnegie Cricket Club's Past Players Dinner. The club is a 116-year-old establishment steeped in cricket history surrounded by quiet streets. I was warmly welcomed by club President Pat amidst an atmosphere teeming with camaraderie, inclusion and diversity. It's a place many proudly call their second family. Past players shared their connection, as evidenced by black-and-white photographs that trace the club's origins to 1907—but, perhaps, even further back to the late 1800s, thanks to digging in Trove. Dr Ben, a retired GP of 79-years strong, proudly pointed to his smiling teenage self on those walls.

A real treat was hearing from AFL retiree and local legend Lynden Dunn. I nodded as Lynden described his career pathway, starting in community sport, which imbued a sense of empowerment and resilience that helped mitigate some of the hurdles in his life. For Lynden, it was never about winning or losing but being grateful that he could participate. No price tag can be placed on the importance of belonging found in these places, an honest reflection of the profound social and physical advantages of immersion in community sport. A first for me was discovering that the club is currently at membership capacity, which is a testament to its reputation and culture.

I want to also use this opportunity to pay homage to early childhood educators in my electorate. As you know, they are an asset to our community and nation. This was reflected in our largest on-budget spend of $5 billion in the October budget. In my electorate, I have around 70 childcare centres, and they are all different. Some have playgrounds inside, others outside. Some have water features. One even has a dry river bed and some reptiles kept in a glass cage. But, what is universal to all of these childcare centres is the care and professionalism of the early childhood educators who look after these children. The work that they do cannot be underestimated or understated.

The early years, as you know, are critical years, and they start from before conception in what are called the preconception-years period all the way through the first five years. That is a period of maximal brain growth, a time when one million neural connections are forming every second in children's brains, so a massive amount of learning is going on at that time. What is toxic to those brands is chronic stress. So what these centres provide children is stimulation and experiences and positivity, enabling them to form those relationships that will create the foundation for a healthy and productive life later on.

I also had the privilege of hosting an early-years round table in my electorate. This will, in turn, feed into our national strategy, which elevates the importance of our early educators in my community and nationally.