Funding for preschool

Last week we heard from Minister Birmingham his plans to cut $440 million every year out of preschool. Preschool is critical for the early development of children and last week it was incredibly disappointing that the Minister confirmed that from 2020 he does not plan to renew funding for preschool. $440 million is a similar number to one that has been in the media recently and that is the money that Malcolm Turnbull and Josh Frydenberg handed over to their mates in a private meeting for the Great Barrier Reef. Of course, this grant was given without a request, without transparent and without any particular policy outcomes really determined. It is incredibly disappointing that Malcolm Turnbull and his government cannot find money for preschool but manages to find money for their mates. This Minister, Minister Birmingham has form to ripping money out of education; whether it is preschool, whether it is schools, whether it is universities he continues to not prioritise investment in our future. This is a Minister that has made more families worse off as a result of his child care changes- 1 in 4 families are worse off as a result of this Minister’s new child care policy. And, of course he has done something that not many people have done and that is unite the catholic schools sector, the independent  school sector and the public school sector actually against him, against his proposal. My message to the government, rather than giving money away to organisations that don’t ask it, with no transparent process- find money for the things that matter, find money for our pre-schoolers that is critically important to our countries future.

 

JOURNALIST: You were just talking then about the catholic and independent sectors, I mean obviously Gonski has recommended several times and equitable distribution of funding, don’t you back the idea of equitable funding- inaudible – why should catholic and independent schools get any other additional funding?

 

RISHWORTH: I will be really really clear; what Gonski recommended originally was a needs based funding model that is something that I and Labor backed in. What we didn’t back was ripping billions and billions of dollars out of our schooling system and that is exactly what this government has done. Now the Minister has been so ham-fisted in his approach the Prime Minister has had to step in, I mean that is a pretty poor indictment on this Minister that the Prime Minister has had to try and smooth over his mistakes. I back a needs based model for school funding; what I don’t back is billions and billions of dollars being ripped out of our schools every single year as a result of this government.

 

JOURNALIST: Obviously Simon Birmingham also provided subsidies recently- inaudible- with kids in day care. Don’t you think that is perhaps a little unfair characterisation to say that they are ripping money out of the system?

 

RISHWORTH: He is ripping money out of families’ pockets. His own department’s information has said 1 in 4 families are going to be worse off as a result of his child care changes and we know the majority of those are in the two lowest income brackets. We have always said that some families will be better off but what the Minister has also done is make early education out of reach for 1 in 4 families in this country. That is just not good enough. This is a Minister that hasn’t listened to families. I spent the last six weeks speaking to some of those families that were worse off; once family has four biological children and three foster children. She has been told because she is not working that she cannot get care for her biological children and she wants to put them in care she can give extra attention to her foster children. These are real examples of people who have been made worse off as a result of the government’s changes.

 

JOURNALIST: In the sector we heard that in the break the ACT Government is backing free hours for three year olds. Do you think that is a good idea? Do you think it is something that should be rolled out nationally?

 

RISHWORTH: I think as a principle three year old preschool is really important but what I am deeply deeply concerned about though is that the government is now putting in jeopardy four year old preschool. What we know is that the results have been really really impressive for the universal access to preschool that has been rolled out over the last ten years. We have seen enrolments of four year olds go from 77 per cent to 93 per cent- that is a real improvement when it comes to attendance of four year olds. While the ACT Government is doing the right thing and a step in the right direction, the Commonwealth Government is shirking its responsibility and will walk away in 2020 from funding preschool.