Tuesday, 16 June 2026

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:34): I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is implementing Thriving Kids in Victoria. Last week, alongside the Premier and the Minister for Government Services Minister Stitt, I announced that the Commonwealth government has approved our plan to establish supports for children zero to eight with developmental delay or autism with low-to-moderate support needs. Here in Victoria this represents an incredible opportunity to bring together our nation-leading universal services with Thriving Kids. It also represents the opportunity to act on what Victorian families tell us every day: they want a joined-up early years system where they have equal access, not a postcode lottery, to good universal health services and education services for their children and where, if they need it, they can get that extra support for their child’s development and additional needs. They do not want an assessment by mere glance, a gift card and good luck, which is what those opposite are proposing. They want to be able to access supports without having to continuously repeat themselves and without having to subject their children to repetitive assessments. Families want to celebrate their children on their best day, not be forced to constantly recount their worst day. We listen to families. Those opposite clearly do not.

Families tell us they want integrated and where possible co-located support with children’s services that understand their child completely. That is why we intend to bring together our maternal and child health, including the 10 free key ages and stages visits, and the early education system, including free three- and four-year-old kinder, with the new state-led Thriving Kids for children aged zero to eight. To help ensure that any developmental delay or difference is picked up early and that children and families get the support that they need, we will implement two new and additional developmental assessments for all children, one pre kinder and one pre school, undertaken by trained clinicians and allied health professionals, and develop a range of state-led allied health and support services, including peer support, parenting programs, supported playgroups, speech pathology and OT. We will begin delivering Thriving Kids in a phased rollout from later this year, with statewide coverage delivered by 1 January 2028 when the changes to the NDIS come into effect.