28 November 2024
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (12:27): I rise to speak in favour of the Office for Early Childhood Development Bill and in so doing I want to acknowledge the work and leadership of the minister, the Hon. Blair Boyer, and his team in getting this happening. I know the minister to be somebody who is very passionate about early childhood education, and I think that is demonstrated through this bill.
I also note, as other members have, that this legislation is also being matched by a $1.9 billion investment in the budget to commence the staged rollout for preschool for three year olds and other key reforms in the early childhood sector across the state and they will commence in 2026. We really welcome that in the Greens. I think that is something that will have a transformative effect on our state and so again I do recognise the government's leadership in that regard.
We know early childhood education and care is vital for children's development and for South Australian young children to have the best chance to be their best selves as they grow into adulthood. It is vital this support is provided to women and families.
Part of this bill is the establishment of the Office for Early Childhood Development. It is great that progress has already been made in this regard. The goal of the office, I understand, is to reduce the number of South Australian children who are developmentally vulnerable—and it is a goal that the Greens support—from 1.8 per cent above the national average to seven points below. What is critical here is the acknowledgement of the role of government in ensuring that children in SA are provided with access to positive learning environments and the supports they need from a young age. There is lots that the state government can do, and this is a start.
The functions of the office are indeed appropriate. It has the task of aligning children's needs with support and service, which is something that is obviously very important. It also has the task of promoting inclusion within the early childhood development system for children with disability and children in care. Again, these are things that should be key priorities. It also makes sense, from the Greens' perspective, that the office has responsibility for the overall strategic direction of government early childhood development services, and I understand that is to be the case.
The Greens welcome the fact that a chief function of the new office will be to promote access to preschool for all three year olds and four year olds. As early childhood expert Loris Malaguzzi once said:
The wider the range of possibilities we offer children, the more intense will be their motivations and the richer their experiences.
Early childhood education and care should be universally available and accessible and it should be free. It should be high quality and it should be culturally appropriate. This has been the long-term policy position of the Greens. We also strongly support the principle that early childhood education and care should be government funded and provided by accredited community organisations and not-for-profit providers.
We are pleased to see within this bill some recognition of the unique needs of First Nations children. We welcome the fact that the functions of the office will include upholding the principles of Aboriginal self-determination and safeguarding the cultural identity of First Nations children. First Nations communities are, of course, best equipped to understand how best to make early childhood education and care culturally responsive and to break with Australia's history of cultural assimilation.
We also welcome the fact that the First Nations Voice, we understand, has had input into this bill. I certainly echo the sentiments the Hon. Connie Bonaros made earlier when she reflected on the significance of the speech that we heard in this chamber yesterday. Indeed, the speech was one of the great, powerful and uplifting moments in this parliament, and it was a speech that I think will echo through the ages in terms of its significance. It is really encouraging to see, already, the government working with the Voice to seek their input on important proposals such as this.
One of the suggestions by the Voice is that all committees established under the act by the office or by the minister have a First Nations representative. I think that is a really good suggestion and certainly one that we hope the government takes up. We are optimistic about the changes that will be legislated in this bill. We commend the bill to the house.