Tuesday, 20 September 2022

Early childhood education

Mr TAYLOR (Bayswater) (19:17): (6543) Free kinder starts next year, permanently, and this is the biggest overhaul to early childhood education in Victoria. From 2023 three- and four-year-old kinder will be free, meaning families will save up to $2500 a year for every child. Locally, Knox families are absolutely stoked. So I wish to raise a matter for the Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep. The action I seek is for the minister to inform my community about how many families in Knox will benefit from the Andrews Labor government’s free kinder starting next year permanently.

Of course in 2025 we will also begin to open 50 government-owned childcare centres across the state in the areas that need them most. But wait, there is more. Also in 2025 we will begin to transition from 15 hours of four-year-old kinder to a 30-hour pre-prep program of play-based learning for every four-year-old in Victoria. This is game changing. It will make a profound difference for women and families who want to get back into the workforce. It will take pressure off family budgets. And it will mean every kid across the state can get the best start in life.

I also want to take a moment to thank our wonderful early years educators for all the amazing work that they do. I have had the greatest privilege of visiting many of our early years centres and I am always in awe of your work, so thank you. I am proud that a Labor government continues to back in early childhood investment by continuing to roll out three-year-old kinder, announcing free kinder and getting on with huge reforms that make a world of difference to so many.