Tuesday, 6 February 2024

Bayswater electorate

Jackson TAYLOR (Bayswater) (14:47): (473) Labor has made kinder free, saving families up to $2500 per child every year. This is putting money back in Knox families’ pockets and is ensuring that every kid gets the best start in life. It also means more people can access the service and makes life that little bit easier for working families. My question to the Minister for Children is: how many young people in Knox are benefiting from free kinder? The exciting stuff does not end at free kinder either, because from 2025 we will also begin to transition from 15 hours of four-year-old kinder to a 30-hour pre-prep program of play-based learning for every four-year-old child in Victoria. It is a massive leap forward. It will make a huge difference for women and families who want to get back into the workforce, and it will take even more pressure off family budgets. Locally we are also helping to build new kinders. Thanks to $1 million from the Allan Labor government a new kinder is underway on Iris Crescent in Boronia. It will provide 44 places for our littlest locals. Whether it is free kinder, more hours or kinder places, only Labor is making sure kids get a great education.