❓ Opposition Leader asks the Premier to guarantee 15 hours of kindergarten for four-year-olds, given concerns about potential withdrawal of Commonwealth funding. Premier acknowledges the importance of the program and the potential need for budget cuts if funding is withdrawn.
AnsweredQoN 579Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION — COMMONWEALTH FUNDING
579. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Premier:
Given that the Premier said last week in reference to
providing a full 15 hours a week of kindergarten for 33 000 children in Western
Australia next year and that he expects no changes to the current arrangements,
will the Premier now guarantee that next year four-year-olds will have 15 hours
of kindy time a week?
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION — COMMONWEALTH FUNDING
579. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Premier:
Given that the Premier said last week in reference to
providing a full 15 hours a week of kindergarten for 33 000 children in Western
Australia next year and that he expects no changes to the current arrangements,
will the Premier now guarantee that next year four-year-olds will have 15 hours
of kindy time a week?
AnswerView source ↗
As I said last week, it was the Liberal–National
government in the 1990s that introduced universal kindergarten and preprimary
programs for four and five-year-olds, not only in the state government school
system but also funded it for the non-government sector. That led Australia and
today that has not been matched by any other state government 15 years on. With
respect to the national agreement about kindergarten funding, of the 15 hours,
the state government funds 11 hours, and the commonwealth funds four hours.
There has been quite a bit of debate about whether the commonwealth will
withdraw its funding. The Minister for Education, Hon Peter Collier, is
pursuing that, as are other state education ministers, with the commonwealth.
If the commonwealth—it is an ''if'', because no decision
has been made by the commonwealth—were to withdraw from that, the cost
would be $47 million per year. I will wait to see what the commonwealth does,
but we would be quite determined to maintain that kindergarten program because
of its importance in early childhood education; but to do so, there would have
to be $47 million worth of cuts elsewhere.
government in the 1990s that introduced universal kindergarten and preprimary
programs for four and five-year-olds, not only in the state government school
system but also funded it for the non-government sector. That led Australia and
today that has not been matched by any other state government 15 years on. With
respect to the national agreement about kindergarten funding, of the 15 hours,
the state government funds 11 hours, and the commonwealth funds four hours.
There has been quite a bit of debate about whether the commonwealth will
withdraw its funding. The Minister for Education, Hon Peter Collier, is
pursuing that, as are other state education ministers, with the commonwealth.
If the commonwealth—it is an ''if'', because no decision
has been made by the commonwealth—were to withdraw from that, the cost
would be $47 million per year. I will wait to see what the commonwealth does,
but we would be quite determined to maintain that kindergarten program because
of its importance in early childhood education; but to do so, there would have
to be $47 million worth of cuts elsewhere.
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