BY BONNIE LAXTON-BLINKHORN, KINDICARE

NOVEMBER 22, 2022

In a move designed to improve the lives of all Australian children, the Labor Government is developing an Early Years Strategy, which it says will take a holistic approach to giving children the best possible start in their important first five years.

Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth and Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Anne Aly will lead development of the Strategy, which the government says will be done in conjunction with plenty of community consultation and stakeholder engagement.

Minister Rishworth said the goal of the strategy is to end the isolated policy approach and leverage the mountain of evidence that exists to best support our children.

“More than any other time in life, the early years are a time when we can positively influence life outcomes, after all, the biggest area of brain development occurs before children turn five.

“By getting it right in the early years of a child’s life, we can help set the foundations for a happy, healthy, and successful future,” she said.

To kick start the conversations the Government is hosting a National Early Years Summit at Parliament House on Friday 17 February 2023.

Around 100 attendees will hear from Minister Rishworth and Dr Aly, along with relevant government departments including Health, Education, Attorney-Generals and the National Indigenous Australians Agency. Treasury and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet will also contribute.

$4.2 million will be invested over 18 months to pay for the Strategy, which Dr Aly says is about ensuring all Australian children get the best start in life no matter where they live or what their background is.

“Our children are our most precious resource, and with 90 per cent of brain development occurring in the first five years, it’s vital we get the early years right.

“A lot goes into raising a happy and healthy child, that’s why we want to hear from families, early childhood educators and other experts.

“Our Summit for Aussie kids will make sure we provide the tools our future generations need to thrive,” said Dr Aly.

While the Summit is for invited guests only, the government says there will be plenty of opportunities for all Australians, including children and families, to have a say through surveys, public submissions, roundtables, local engagement and consultation, which will start in January 2023.

A new 14-member expert Advisory Panel comprised of people with a range of experiences and backgrounds has also been established to help the government develop the Strategy. The Advisory Panel will support the work of a Steering Committee charged with the big job of bringing together all areas of government to ensure a cohesive approach.

Development of this Strategy sounds like great news for little Aussies and their families and we look forward to seeing how it progresses, in the meantime more information about the Early Years Strategy is available at the Department of Social Services website.