Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to ensure early learning is more affordable for Australian families whilst also ensuring a child's education is of the highest quality?

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hawke for his question, and I just want to acknowledge the member for Hawke's tireless work in representing the families and the children in the electorate of Hawke.

All parents want the best for their children—a life of opportunities; a life filled with lifelong learning; a life full of experiences that help them thrive. On this side of the House, we want the same for every Australian child—no matter where they live, no matter what their circumstances, no matter what their background. The Albanese Labor government wants every child to have the very best start in life. On Public Education Day, I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the work of my colleague the Minister for Education in ensuring that that best start in life is continued right through schooling, through our public education system.

A key part of that is access to high-quality and affordable early childhood education. That's why we're delivering on our commitment to make early childhood education more affordable for 1.2 million families right across Australia, from 1 July. That's just over a month away. That's why we're building on Labor's legacy to ensure that early childhood education and care in Australia is of the highest quality, and that's why we announced, in the last budget, measures to help build the capacity of the early learning workforce.

Now, these measures are a direct response to the presentations from and the consultations that I've had with stakeholders and educators in the sector, and I want to thank them for their engagement. They told me that they want and they need professional development, but they often can't get it. They told me that the financial stress of having to undertake practicums was often a disincentive to further study and upskilling. So what we've done is to allocate $72 million in the budget to support professional development and practicums. These measures have been widely welcomed by the sector, including by Elizabeth Death from ELACCA, who said: 'Having the opportunity to undertake professional development and skills training will enable the workforce to build up their expertise and ensure that they have the support they need to advance in their careers.'

This government recognises the professionals who educate and care for our children. We believe in the value of early learning. And we heed the evidence about brain development in those first five years of a child's life. That's why we're committed to an affordable, world-class, early childhood education and care system—a system that works for every Australian family and for every Australian child.