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THE federal government has refuted claims that it will cut $440 million from four-year-old kindergarten services.
The state government and the Municipal Association of Victoria said the federal government’s 2018-19 Budget showed that it had not committed funding beyond December 2019 for the five hours of kinder each week.
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said has said the government had locked in funding for preschool for the rest of 2018, as well as 2019.
Mr Birmingham said it gave the government time to work through “current serious attendance issues” which meant about 30 per cent of children did not attended the full 15 hours per week.
“We’re determined to make sure that just as we’ve done before in continuing and renewing preschool agreements with the states and territories on four separate occasions, we will work with them to make sure that in future agreements they address the serious issues around attendance in preschool,” he said.
Previously:
THE federal government has plans to cut $440 million from four-year-old kindergarten services.
The Budget showed that the government has not committed funding beyond December 2019 for the five hours of kinder each week.
Fifteen hours of kindergarten each week was endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments in 2008.
It was introduced nationally with federal funding for five of the 15 hours and the state government covering the remaining 10 hours.
Councils also voluntarily invested about $780 million of ratepayer funds over the past decade to deliver 15 hours of kindergarten from purpose-built council facilities.
Horsham Rural City Council mayor Pam Clarke said she was disappointed with the federal government decision’s to withdraw four-year-old kindergarten funding.
She said more money needs to be spent on setting children up for the rest of their lives.
“For every $1 spent in providing services to children aged naught to five is $4 saved in areas such as education, drugs and alcohol and social services,” she said.
“Children are far more prepared for school when they attend kinder.
“A lack of services from an early age means that our children’s minds are not properly stimulated.”
The Municipal Association of Victoria president Mary Lalios said permanent funding for kindergarten was needed alongside a national quality assessment system to ensure children received a high quality, stable early start to their education.
“Victorian families cannot contribute any more funding to send their children to kindergarten. If federal funding is not made permanent, fee increases will price many families out of accessing preschool,” she said.
Cr Lalios said irrefutable international and national evidence linked preschool attendance to improved education, health, social and economic outcomes that can break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.
“National Partnership Agreements have existed between Federal and state government for nearly 10 years to bind the system together for the benefit of 1.3 million children and 900,000 families nationally,” she said.
“Yet with Australia still languishing as one of the poorest performing OECD nations in terms of our investment in early childhood education, now is the time to invest more – not walk away.”