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

The Toast for Kids Charity is a Tasmanian based organisation whose stated aim is to 'break the cycle of poverty, poor health, social exclusion, and helplessness, through and by supporting emergency food relief, food security, and education'. I met recently with Toast for Kids Charity president Steve Martin, whom many in this place would recognise as a former senator, and we discussed the charity's latest campaign. The Read Aloud to Your Child Every Day campaign is being run in partnership with the Children's Book Council of Australia and encourages parents and caregivers to read regularly to their children. One of their initiatives is to provide free copies of the children's book Tassie Rhymes for Little Tigers by Narelda Joy to Tasmanian parents of newborn babies.

The 'read aloud' message is important. We know that reading aloud to children has multiple benefits, including developing literacy and language skills, assisting cognitive development and strengthening relationships. As an early childhood educator, I saw benefits of that firsthand. By reading aloud to their children every day, not only will parents and caregivers discover the benefits of reading, but also the joy of it. I certainly enjoyed reading to my now adult children while they were growing up, and now I read to my grandchildren.

Toast for Kids has been promoting the campaign across Tasmania through libraries, Neighbourhood Houses and child and family-learning centres. They've been gaining support from elected representatives at all levels of government and across the political spectrum, as well as the Governor of Tasmania, Her Excellency Barbara Baker AC, and Tasmania's 26TEN Adult Literacy Network. It's an important message, and Toast for Kids aspires for it to reach a national audience. I congratulate Toast for Kids on this great campaign, and I encourage everyone in this place to support it.