It's a great pleasure to follow the shadow minister for confected outrage in debate on the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2023-2024. It really is ridiculous when those on the other side complain about our evidence based education policies, where the 'lifters and leaners approach', if I can put it that way, of the previous government did a lot of harm to some of the most disadvantaged people in our communities. I thank the minister for Early Childhood Education very much for her work and her dedication as she and her team have been advancing in early education in our country. Indeed, she has visited—

A government member: They don't want to talk about that, do they?

Dr FREELANDER: No, they don't want to talk about that at all. The minister has in fact been to my electorate on a number of occasions. It was a pleasure to welcome her recently to a childcare centre in my electorate that's providing the very best care and early childhood education to my constituents' children. I'm very, very proud to be part of a government that understands the importance of early intervention and of early childhood education. We are giving some of the most disadvantaged access to early childhood education for the first time in this country. We know that the evidence base is there to show that intervention for these kids increases their educational progress in both primary and secondary school. The education that is given in early childhood will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives. It will mean some of the most disadvantaged kids from the most disadvantaged families will benefit from that for the rest of their lives. I'm very proud to be part of a government that promotes this as its policy. My electorate of Macarthur is very fortunate to be home to some wonderful early education centres, which I visited in my previous role as a paediatrician. Those centres include Squiggles and Giggles in Emerald Hills; Good Start Early Learning in Willowdale, which the minister visited; Raising Stars in Gregory Hills; and St Helens Park Long Day Care Centre.

I've visited all these sites in my electorate, and I can see how the kids benefit. I can see the dedicated work of the teachers and staff, including the staff who cook and clean and support the families, and I'm proud to be part of that. This government's policies in early childhood education will benefit 9,200 Macarthur families, which is more than previously, and in total 1.2 million Australian families will have access to early childhood education from 1 July because we are increasing the childcare subsidy. In doing so we are helping make early childhood education more affordable and accessible to all, and we know that equitable access to early childhood education is very important. Some of our family will save up to $2,000 in the first year of our plan alone. This means more children getting access to the transformational benefits of early learning, regardless of their circumstances, and in the long run bolstering the wealth and health of our country

There's a staggering number of children who are potentially missing out on early childhood education due to inequitable access and affordability. Those on the opposite side should understand that well. A major contributing factor is the poor planning of the previous New South Wales government in my home state and the lack of early childhood education places. In fact, Willowdale early childhood education centre, which the minister visited, has 900 children on the waiting list. Many of these families will now be able to access care as our early childhood education plan rolls out.

We know there are still issues, and the government is attempting to address these with the education of early childhood educators, providing fee-free TAFE places for people doing early childhood education and providing more spaces in universities for early childhood education degrees. We recognise that there are still issues, and we must do more to attract, retain and support the early childhood workforce. That's why we're investing over $70 million to support the skills and training of the quality and sustainable early childhood education and care sector. This important investment will support the quality of the highly trained early childhood education and care workforce and improve access to professional development to make it easier for educators to progress their careers. I'm proud of being a part of a government that's doing this, and I look forward to the many advance that will continue to be made in the future under this government.