Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Through you, Mr Acting Deputy President, I have changed my mind—I don't want him anywhere near me! I was in the United States when Andrew Forrest launched his Indigenous jobs and training review, but I caught bits and pieces of it. The first thing I did when I visited Roebourne, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek and Kununurra was to meet with my Aboriginal mates from the corporations and Aboriginal progressive leaders in Aboriginal communities throughout the Kimberley as well as going to these early childhood and family centres. They wanted me to know very clearly that they are absolutely and completely gobsmacked by this government's decision to cease the funding of these early childhood and family centres. They wanted to make sure I knew that the first recommendation from Mr Forrest's Indigenous jobs and training review goes to early childhood.

I want to quote a couple of lines from Mr Forrest's report. He recommends:

That all governments prioritise investment in early childhood, from conception to three years of age.

That ticks the boxes in these early childhood and family centres in the Kimberley, in the Pilbara and in Roebourne. He goes on to say:

Governments must work jointly to agree on, and put into effect within 12 months, a new approach that includes progressive investment to implement integrated early childhood services and to dramatically improve attendance.

It will come as no shock to some on the other side that this is what is already being done through these early childhood and family centres in these remote and out-of-the way centres—particularly in Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, which are absolutely miles from anywhere, where these are the only infrastructure facility that provides this. Mr Forrest goes on to say:

In order for young children to be school-ready when they enter formal schooling, governments will need to work jointly to coordinate and deliver intensive prenatal and holistic preventative early childhood services in target communities.

But this is already being done. This is not new. I welcome Mr Forrest's report but this is what is already happening at these early childhood and family centres in the Kimberley, in Fitzroy Crossing, in Roebourne, in Halls Creek and in Kununurra.

I plead with the Abbott government: if you cease funding these vital facilities in towns like Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, you are condemning Aboriginal kids who have no other option, and the white kids who are lucky enough to be there because their parents are working, to a life of absolute disadvantage. There is nowhere else these kids can go. I witnessed two of the cutest kids I have seen, two Aboriginal kids, who were asleep while the others were playing. They were asleep because they do not get that quality sleep at home. They rely on this very vital facility. I urge the government to overturn their decision.