Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just last week I had the pleasure of visiting Kindaimanna Community Kindergarten and Byford Community Kindergarten with my state colleague, the Hon. Donna Faragher. The commitment of parent communities, teachers and education assistants there is outstanding. They are truly passionate about educating and supporting some of the youngest members of our community.

The importance of early childhood education is often overlooked, and I believe that a community based approach is one way to really help those communities. It can make or break the support for children in their formative years. We discussed the importance of early intervention and the role that it can play for children who are having learning and behavioural challenges. It can be difficult for families to afford the appropriate services that are needed to support these children, but I'm encouraged that families in WA have the support of community kindergartens. Unfortunately, many community kindergartens are at risk of being shut down. The Western Australian government is making it more and more difficult for them to keep their doors open by raising the enrolment requirement and not providing sufficient resources.

Madam Acting Deputy President Cox, it is critical that we work together to provide our children with opportunities so that they can have the very best start in life, and this will set them up for success. It's not a case of just having more childcare places or more universal access to child care. What we have to ensure is that we have the appropriate services that are there, particularly for vulnerable families and particularly for vulnerable children, which I know you are also very committed to seeing. So I urge the WA government and, indeed, this government here federally to take the time to see the positive impact of programs like this, community kindergartens and other initiatives that rely on families who know what they need to support their children.