Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Early childhood education and care

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (12:34): (884) My question is to the Minister for Children. Minister, has land been acquired or secured in Seymour for the promised Victorian government owned early learning and childcare centre?

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:35): I thank Mrs Broad for her question. It has certainly been an exciting year for Early Learning Victoria. Already this year we have opened four of the new early learning centres.

Members interjecting.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: I remind those opposite, who are very quick to interject, that this is one of those occasions again when the state government is stepping into the responsibility of what is really a Commonwealth area, because we are talking about long day care and our responsibility is in the delivery of free kinder.

In terms of the Early Learning Victoria sites, we are very pleased that we have opened four of those this year, and I was recently at the one in Sunshine having a good discussion with the families there who are benefiting from the co-location of that service with the primary school, ditching the double drop-off and benefiting from the work that the state government is doing in delivering early learning.

We will have more to say as we progress through the implementation of the Early Learning Victoria plans as it comes to each and every one of the sites that we have previously spoken of, and when we can provide a further update for the member we will.

Gaelle Broad: On a point of order, President, I just asked the minister a question about Seymour and whether or not land had been purchased. She has been talking about other sites. I ask you to bring her back to the question.

The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister had finished her substantive answer, and in that answer I picked up that she said this could be the responsibility of the federal government.

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (12:37): Can the minister guarantee the centre will be open and operating by 2028 as promised by the former Premier on the eve of the 2022 state election?

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:37): Further to my answer and just to clarify your characterisation, President, what I was saying is that long day care is the responsibility of the Commonwealth government, but because we know that there are shortages in the long day care services across the state the state is stepping up and delivering long day care facilities and assisting the Commonwealth in that matter. They have not necessarily always, in the best way they can, addressed that. But we are very pleased to be working with them on that now, and we are continuing to have conversations with them about the best way to do that.

Further to my substantive answer, the website does include regular updates as we have them for each and every one of the available 50 sites, including the four that we have opened already this year through to the rollout of the whole program. In relation to Seymour specifically, you can continue to find those updates on the website in the usual way.