Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Responses

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (19:29): I would in the first instance like to reply to Mr Galea’s adjournment matter to me as Minister for Children, and I thank Mr Galea as a member for South-Eastern Metropolitan for his continued support of the Allan Labor government’s early childhood reforms. I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of sites involved in our Best Start, Best Life reforms with Mr Galea as well as with Mr Tarlamis. Last week I had the pleasure of announcing 11 more kinders set to open at government schools in 2026–27, in that case alongside the member for Footscray in the other place. These 11 kinders will create more the 1700 additional places across Victoria. Four of these kinders, as identified by Mr Galea, will be located within the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region and two of them will be in Clyde North. Both these kinders will be located at brand new schools because we are building a kinder on school site to go with every new school. One of them will be located at Mirniyan Primary School and the other at what is currently being called Clyde Creek North primary school. The kinders will consist of at least two kindergarten rooms and will open in 2027.

These kinders are an important part of our $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reforms, and they are much appreciated everywhere I go by local families who agree that we are greatly improving access to kinder. This was nowhere more true than in Clyde North. This is important because it allows families to ditch the dreaded double drop-off, but more importantly it is also good for child development. As Mr Galea aptly pointed out, it is in early education in those important years in kindergarten when people learn the basics of reading, writing and counting but also the importance of socialising with each other and the skills that will set them up for life to build lifelong friendships and partnerships and be kind to each other in our world. As we have seen and as Mr Galea rightly pointed out, the ability to count to 30 is particularly important. The ability to count beyond 30 is also very important.

Since 2018 we have helped over 70 kinders at schools and upgraded hundreds more as part of these Best Start, Best Life reforms. These investments into our early childhood infrastructure are also supporting the delivery of the 15 hours of three-year-old kindergarten each week by 2029 and the 30 hours of pre-prep each week by 2036. This will benefit families from every corner of Victoria, including Clyde North, and if these reforms had been in place some time ago perhaps those opposite would have benefited as well.

A number of other members have raised matters for a series of other ministers, and I will refer those accordingly. I seek your clarification, as Mrs Broad raised a matter that was for both the Premier and the Minister for Consumer Affairs. I would seek to refer that to the Minister for Consumer Affairs.

The PRESIDENT: I think your safest bet might be the Premier, and then it will cover a number of portfolios.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: Okay. I am happy to refer that matter to the Premier.

The PRESIDENT: The house stands adjourned.

House adjourned 7:32 pm.