Tuesday, 28 July 2026

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:26): I rise to update the house on how the Labor government is helping local kinders across Victoria to upgrade, refurbish and renovate. I recently visited Keon Park Kindergarten with the member for Preston in the other place to announce that our government is delivering $12.3 million across 63 kinders through the Building Blocks improvement grants. It was an absolute pleasure to join Popi and the team to speak about the important works that that kinder will be able to complete because of funding from this government. While I was there I had the opportunity to recognise the incredible 38-year contribution of Pat Sebben and her late husband Stephen. Pat first joined the management committee in 1978 and between 1985 and 2020 worked as an educator at the kinder, watching both her children and her grandchildren attend, while her husband Stephen generously volunteered his time over many years to maintain the kindergarten building. Their contributions reflect the deep connection that so many communities have with their local kinder. That is why our government is proud to be backing these kinders, funding improvements to their facilities so they can support generations of children for years to come. We are doing this because we believe that every child deserves the best start in life. Every child, no matter their background, ability or postcode, deserves the chance to learn, play and grow in a great local kinder; every parent and every carer deserves to know their child is receiving a quality early years education in an environment designed to help them thrive; and every kinder teacher, educator and member of staff deserves to have a workplace that reflects their dedication, professionalism and care.

When it comes to investing directly in kinder facilities, the contrast between our government and those opposite could not be clearer. While we have invested in kinder infrastructure in every single state budget, delivering more than $3.8 billion to build, expand and upgrade hundreds of kinders right across the state, when you look at the budget papers from those opposite, in their time there was no asset funding allocated for kinders in their whole four years – none. Only a Labor government can be trusted to deliver kindergarten facilities for children and for families.