Wednesday, 31 August 2022

Wyndham early parenting centre

Ms CONNOLLY (Tarneit) (19:14): (6521) My adjournment is for the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services, and the action I seek is that the minister update me on our government’s efforts in building the Wyndham early parenting centre. As the minister will know—after so many years of me being on my feet speaking in this place about the number of babies being born each and every single week in Wyndham—130 babies are now being born each and every week. That is an increase compared to the 2019 numbers which I have been speaking about over the past four years. It is an increase of 40 babies a week compared to the 2019 numbers when I first stood here and talked about how many kids were being born at local hospitals in our community.

I know from my own experience just how daunting being a new parent can be. You have so many questions, you are tired, you cannot believe you have given birth to this beautiful little thing and he or she will not stop crying and you are not quite sure what to do. I know this is something that a lot of families in my electorate experience when they adjust to life with a newborn child, particularly when their family is in another country across the world and they do not have grandparents here to help them. That is why centres like early parenting centres are just so important, and we are building seven of them right across Victoria.

Each of the centres is going to provide parents and carers with specialist support for their bubs as well as young kids as old as four, including support with, most importantly, sleep and settling, along with general health and wellbeing. The new facility, which will be run by Tweddle Australia, will include 10 residential units and four day-stay units to provide a range of support services in a safe and, most importantly, welcoming environment for all families. This is an initiative I was particularly excited to see grow over the years as the chair of the community advisory group for this project. With works expected to be completed by 2024, I look forward to receiving an update from the minister on where exactly we are at in delivering this life-saving service for so many families in Wyndham.