Page 318 - Week 01 - Thursday, 17 February 2011
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Through the Department of Education and Training there are a number of programs which support children and young families. For example, nearly 4,200 children attended preschool in the ACT last year. Preschool programs operating within ACT public schools seek the active participation of families to contribute to their child’s education and development. The ACT is working in partnership with the commonwealth to deliver 15 hours of preschool to our public preschools by 2013.
We recognise the role that culturally appropriate programs and family participation can play in improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Such programs are delivered through Koori preschool programs for children from birth to five years of age. These programs provide students and their families with a sound foundation upon which to build a solid education.
Possibly the most tangible example of the ACT government’s commitment to early childhood education is our four early childhood schools. The close relationship of childcare and education is clearly evident at these schools. Childcare providers and the Department of Education and Training work together to meet the learning and development needs of children aged up to eight years. Engaging families is central to this new model. I think the success of these schools is reflected in the fact they have become such a valued part of the communities that they serve.
The ACT government are determined to cater for every child and to ensure that every child can reach his or her full potential. That is why we run and fund with partners a range of programs which cater for children who have special needs, and particularly those in the two to six-year age bracket who are at risk of, or who have, a developmental delay or disability.
The government are committed to life-long learning. We are committed to ensuring that at whatever stage in life people are at, they can access education and the education that they need to build their skills for the most productive and happy life possible. This means providing excellent education to ACT children from the very beginning of life. There is no doubt that childcare and early education are vital to achieving this. The government have a proud record in this area and a very sound policy framework to continue to deliver benefits to young Canberrans.
It is in that context that I must just make a few alterations in respect of Mrs Dunne’s presentation. It is very easy for oppositions to listen, and good on them; so they should. We all should listen. But what I did not hear in the 10-minute presentation was any particular alternative policy approach.
The idea that there is a cost-free reform in this area I think is a fantasy. Look at the detail in the regulatory impact statement. Look at the detailed implementation programs and the number of years that jurisdictions of both political persuasions have been involved. There are state Liberal governments that are and have been involved in this work. Look at the detail of that and the efforts of governments, early childhood education experts and those who have been working for a long time in the childcare sector. They all acknowledge that there are costs associated with this reform. Nonetheless, even Mrs Dunne acknowledges the importance of the reform.
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