Wednesday, 26 August 2026

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:45): I rise to update the house on the Carroll Labor government’s nation-leading reforms for children and families. Since the supporting stable and strong families legislation passed, I have received an overwhelmingly positive response from across the sector, government and community. Last week I brought together key leaders from across the children and families sector, as well as key government departments, to discuss the legislation and its impending implementation. Central to the discussions were young people with lived experience from my ministerial youth advisory group, who presented on their vision for supporting stable and strong families. The parenting lived experience group from the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare also provided a valuable contribution to the discussion. Through this legislation our government has legislated responsibility across government in support of at-risk children and families. It brings into law the cross-portfolio work our government has started. Since becoming Minister for Children, I have been firmly focused on working across government to increase supports to at-risk children and families. This has included working with the Minister for Education to fund individual tutoring for children in care who need further education support, working with the Minister for Health on expanding comprehensive health checks for all children when they enter or re-enter care and working with the minister for housing to ensure that parents who are pursuing family reunification are now recognised as a priority cohort under the Victorian housing register.

On this side of the house we have been getting the work done to support the most at-risk in our community. Those opposite in 2012–13 invested $120 million in family services. Since then we have almost quadrupled funding to $460 million. This nation-leading legislation builds on the Carroll Labor government’s commitment to children and families, and I want to thank everyone from across government and the sector who worked to put together such a collaborative and engaging discussion at the children and families sector forum last week. We look forward to seeing what we achieve across all government portfolios as we continue to put the needs of the child at the centre of a better connected and more integrated system.