Tuesday, 2 June 2026

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (14:38): Last week it was an absolute pleasure to join the member for Hastings Paul Mercurio MP and member for Frankston Paul Edbrooke MP to officially open the Hastings early parenting centre. This EPC is just one of the Allan Labor government’s 11 EPCs currently delivering parenting services to families of children aged zero to four right across the state. Early parenting centres offer specialist parenting supports for families needing extra assistance in the areas of sleep and settling, child behaviour, parent–child attachment and parent–child health and wellbeing. The centre has both day and overnight stay facilities to host families for up to five nights. The day-stay unit has four separate rooms with cots where parents can receive one-on-one support from the centre’s team of professionals. The overnight family unit has 10 private family rooms, each with its own bathroom, and bedrooms for parents and babies as well as rooms for other children or carers. The centre also has an indoor and outdoor play area and communal and dining and kitchen areas where families can settle in, meet with other families and enjoy meals provided by the centre with each other.

Each time I meet with the families and staff at our network of early parenting centres, I recognise that these centres are creating an extensive community of support for young families. The multidisciplinary team of staff includes a nurse unit manager, registered nurses, enrolled nurses, midwives, maternal and child health nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers. Families can feel well supported by the extensive knowledge and skill of the expert teams. The EPC in Hastings is nestled beautifully into the local landscape, offering a lovely, calm environment to welcome families looking for support in raising their little ones from their very earliest days, and I was taken by the beautiful sunlight and tranquil outlook from each room.

Our state Labor government has invested over $168 million to refurbish and rebuild Victoria’s early parenting centre network. With 11 EPCs now operating right across the state and two more on the way in Northcote and Shepparton, families can rest assured that by attending one of the Allan Labor government’s early parenting centres, they will be well supported on their parenting journey.