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Business View Oceania - October/November 2017
Our reforms address concerns that the
existing early childhood education and
care model is inaccessible, inflexible and
unaffordable. We want to ensure taxpay-
er support is better targeted to those
families earning the least and working
the most, while guaranteeing vulnerable
children are given the right level of early
education opportunities.
We know that if a child starts school
behind the pack without the right inter-
ventions and supports to catch them up,
they fall further and further behind as
they grow older. That’s why we want to
improve early years’ education and child
care for all Australian children, regard-
less of income or location.
Preschool helps prepare children for
the challenges ahead at school so that
they can get the best possible start. We
want all children to benefit and have in-
cluded stronger targets to help ensure
that federal funding for preschool in-
creases opportunities for Indigenous
children and children from disadvan-
taged backgrounds.
While the Government will always have
the key role to play in delivering fair and
affordable early childhood education
and care opportunities, many business-
es have seen the benefits their involve-
ment can have. Many business leaders
I’ve spoken with point out that their in-
vestment in child care and early learn-
ing for their employees’ children delivers
significant returns in the form of a happi-
er workforce, increased productivity and
longer-term, a smarter generation of po-
tential hires.