Page 2418 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 13 August 2014
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can decrease the likelihood of falling through the gaps, as it were, later in the life of the child, and cannot be underestimated as an unspoken but clearly understood goal of these education programs.
As we know, the ACT government already provides 12 hours of preschool, and with commonwealth funding this can be increased to 15 hours. As Ms Berry’s motion states, this is the minimum recommended by the Productivity Commission’s draft report into child care and early childhood learning.
As the background of that document states:
The child care and early learning system can be improved because:
• families are struggling to find quality child care and early learning that is flexible and affordable enough to meet their needs and to participate in the workforce
• a small but significant number of children start school with learning and developmental delays
• there are shortfalls in reaching and properly supporting the needs of children with disabilities and vulnerable children, regional and rural families and parents who are moving from income support into study and employment
• services need to operate in a system that has clear and sustainable business arrangements, including regulation, planning and funding
It is really the last point I want to highlight in support of Ms Berry’s motion. We need certainty; the federal government has not yet made a commitment to continue funding for 15 hours of preschool education beyond 2014. I noted Mr Doszpot’s comments about the references to “into 2015”, and I am aware there is a contingency in the federal budget, but there is still a level of uncertainty that I do not think is satisfactory. I think we would do well to get more clarity as soon as possible.
I recognise the value of taking on board the final finding of the Productivity Commission, but we are eight months into 2014, and the sector, the workers, the parents and the ACT government need to know what is going to happen to the funding that supports these services and programs.
Unfortunately, there is a bit of a pattern like this at the moment; we have seen it with housing and homelessness funding where transitional agreements with no firm dates or milestones are being inflicted on the sector. That makes it difficult for people to plan. We see funding reductions and uncertainty in education and areas of sport and recreation. We need the federal government to make some clear decisions in a number of key policy areas so that those affected by the various decisions can proceed on a sustainable basis.
Certainly early childhood education, preschools specifically, is one of those areas. They provide an essential and positive start in life to those children who need it most, and I do not think anybody disagrees with that. Some of the staff at these agencies are already struggling because of low wages to make a career in a profession they love, and they certainly do not need uncertainty or anxiety around not knowing what is going to happen in 2015.
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