Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the number of children using early learning services has risen over the past 10 years, from just below 35% in 2009 to nearly 45% in 2018,

(ii) there is inequity in access to early learning services–children living in remote areas, children who live in economically disadvantaged areas, children from Indigenous backgrounds, children from non-English speaking backgrounds, and those with disability are under-represented in early learning services,

(iii) Australia's investment in early learning is below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average, and

(iv) the Australian Government's investment in early learning per child has declined between 2016 and 2019; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to:

(i) increase investment in early learning, and

(ii) work to close the access gap and ensure disadvantaged children have equal access to early learning.