Early childhood education
Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:23): (165) My question is to the minister for early education. Minister, Malvern Memorial Kindergarten is a fabulous community kindergarten with excellent programs and opportunities for children. Yet while the government spruiks its funding for free kinder, it is proving inadequate to cover the costs of the excellent educators and programs offered at the kinder. A family with a three-year-old and a four-year-old attending the kindergarten, as in the case of a constituent of mine, will be paying an out-of-pocket charge of $10,700 – far from being free. With cost-of-living pressures and uncertainty about job security hitting families because of Victoria’s economic climate, constituents like mine simply cannot afford the additional cost of more than $10,000 for their two sons to attend a kindergarten program in their local community. Minister, why won’t the government support families like this and apply the government’s free kinder funding to the out-of-pocket charges they will have to pay?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep, Minister for Environment) (12:24): I thank Ms Crozier for that question. Of course it gives me the opportunity to remind the house in some detail of the arrangements that our government has backed in around free kinder. This is all part of our Best Start, Best Life reforms. The budget that we handed down last week commits $1.8 billion to the continued transformation of early childhood education in Victoria, and that includes over $500 million for the free kinder initiative, including an additional rolling out of three-year-old kinder and the commencement of the rollout of pre-prep.
As I have explained on more than one occasion in the house, free kinder is a game changer. It is a cost-of-living initiative that our government is absolutely proud to deliver. It provides parents in sessional kinder with up to $2500 per child and in a long day care setting an offset against those Commonwealth childcare fees of $2000. This is a significant investment by the government to assist parents in having no financial barrier to sending their children to three- and four-year-old kinder. The average kinder fee across the state is $1900, so where we have pitched our government-funded free kinder – at $2500 in sessional kinders – is well above the average fees being charged by the vast majority of services across the state. We have also provided, for those high-fee-charging kindergartens, transitional payments to enable them to transition to free kinder.
I would obviously urge that particular kinder in your electorate, Ms Crozier, to work with my department on all of the ways that we are providing support for kinder. It is very important that you understand that free kinder funding is in addition to all the other funding that the government provides to our fantastic kindergarten services across the state. I am absolutely delighted that 97 per cent of kinders – 97 per cent of kindergarten services in our state – have signed up for free kinder. In relation to your constituents, Ms Crozier, I would urge you to ask them to work with my department on all the ways that we can help them transition to free kinder so that they can offer free kinder to families in their community, like the vast majority – 97 per cent of kinders – are doing.
Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:27): Well, Minister, my constituents have written to you, and that is why I am raising this question in the house today. Parents who cannot afford these fees will drop out of community kindergartens and seek places elsewhere, placements that are just not available. The risk for this kindergarten is it will become unviable, and parents have been told it will be closed within five years. Will you guarantee that community kinders like this will not be subjected to the cruel selective application of free kinder fees and enable all Victorian parents to access what you are saying is being applied across the state – not just to 97 per cent but to 100 per cent of kindergartens – so that kindergartens like Malvern Memorial can remain open and continue to provide excellent early learning opportunities?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep, Minister for Environment) (12:28): I have to say, Ms Crozier, it really does you no service to catastrophise about these things. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is over $500 million in this budget alone for free kinder across the state. There are also additional supports that our government provides to kindergartens, including an experienced teacher supplement. I was out with the Premier just this morning announcing that every kinder will receive a $5000 grant for upgraded toys and equipment. The list goes on and on, with $1.8 billion in this year’s budget alone. I am absolutely proud of the work that our government is leading in our nation. Free kinder is an absolute game changer. You are catastrophising, and I would urge you to ask that kinder to engage with the Department of Education, who will assist them fully.