Wednesday, 19 February 2025

Ministers statements: early childhood facilities and kindergartens

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:34): I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is supporting growing communities in the north of Melbourne through our Building Blocks partnership with Hume City Council. Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Everley estate in Sunbury to announce $4.5 million to build the new Jacksons Creek community centre alongside the member for Sunbury Josh Bull from the other place, as well as the Hume mayor. It was a very windy morning in Sunbury, but the excitement about the new centre filled the air. The new Jacksons Creek community centre will include two kinder rooms, creating 118 additional kinder places for Sunbury families. It will also offer co-located maternal and child health services alongside community activity spaces. This is vital for the growing north of Melbourne, with the new integrated children’s centre being built on a greenfield site. We know that this location will soon be home to many families, and thanks to this government they will have a beautiful new kinder and maternal and child health room ready for their littlest residents to grow and learn.

This project is part of our government’s $12.9 million Building Blocks partnership with Hume City Council. This will deliver six new and expanded kinders for the Hume LGA, creating 450 kinder places for local families. Since 2021 the Allan Labor government has invested $452 million and entered into 17 Building Blocks partnerships supporting the delivery of 107 new and expanded kinders as well as providing essential access to child, family and community services in areas where they are needed most.

It is not just great news in the Sunbury electorate – we are delivering these facilities right across the state. Just on Monday I visited the Epalock Crescent kinder alongside the member for St Albans, Minister Suleyman from the other place, to open the newly rebuilt kinder, which has now doubled its capacity. When it comes to delivering for Victorian children and families it is the Allan Labor government that delivers. We promised we would deliver free kinder and we have done that, while those opposite continue to want to charge families for their education.