Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

While most of us take access to early childhood education and care for granted, sadly, this is not the case for many Indigenous children and families. As a former early childhood educator, I'm very aware of the disadvantages facing Indigenous families when it comes to accessing vital education and care services in their early years. We know that, for First Nations children, there is a gap in their early childhood education and care, and we know that this often translates to long-term disadvantages when it comes to health, education and employment outcomes.

I am, however, very happy to report that we're now seeing some real progress in this area through the Connected Beginnings program. Connected Beginnings is a grant based Closing the Gap initiative, aimed at providing a range of services that wrap around Indigenous children in those vital first five years of life. This community owned and led program empowers First Nations people to have a say in how early childhood activities are delivered to their people in their own places and on their country in a culturally specific way that is tailored to break down barriers and foster positive engagement with the scheme.

The success of Connected Beginnings speaks for itself. So far we've seen a 10 per cent increase in early childhood education participation for First Nations children accessing Connected Beginnings throughout Australia. There are currently 41 Connected Beginnings sites across Australia, and we've committed to expanding to 50 sites by the end of this year, including three that are currently being rolled out in my home state of Tasmania in Burnie, George Town and Bridgewater-Gagebrook. The long-term benefits to participants in this program cannot be underestimated, and I celebrate this initiative in making real inroads into closing the gap for our Indigenous communities.