Tuesday, 18 February 2025

 Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (17:38): (1404) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Children. Minister, last week I had the honour of representing you at the opening of three new facilities for children in my electorate of Western Victoria: a new kindergarten at Dimboola and a new kindergarten at Nhill, both at the local government primary schools, and a very impressive early learning centre at Murtoa named Bani Walup, which in the Wergaia language means ‘little blue-tongue lizard’, which is very, very common in that community.

Bani Walup is one of four of Victoria’s very first government owned and operated early learning and childcare centres and among a total of 50 such centres in the pipeline for communities that need them most across the state. We want to give all children the very best start in life, no matter where they live. The establishment of 50 government owned and operated early learning centres is part of this government’s $14 billion commitment to expand kindergarten programs across the state. I must say that the facility as we walked through it – the playground, the colour schemes and the woodwork – was so beautiful and so calm. There is now a trend for calming colours and natural wood and play equipment outside, so there were no big, lairy, bright colours. It was all very gentle. It was beautiful. This massive investment includes the rollout of pre-prep, doubling kinder for four-year-olds to up to 30 hours a week, which means children in their four-year-old program will have more time to learn through play before starting school. We are also ensuring that across the state every three-year-old can now have at least 5 hours of kindergarten a week, and by 2029 we will increase that to 15 hours.

Evidence shows that two years are better than one when it comes to early learning. Given the importance of early learning centres for giving Victorian children the best start in life, I am seeking an update from the minister on progress towards the two early learning centres at Portland South Primary School and Bundarra Primary School in Portland, both of them in a regional community again and in a community that has been calculated as being short on child care. I have already met with the Portland South Primary School, and they are very much looking forward to the new facility which will include maternal and child health services, child care, pre-prep and kinder as well.