State Government acts immediately on nation-leading Royal Commission report
The State Government will start work immediately on delivering the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, which will see South Australia become a national leader in early childhood development and improve the lives of thousands of children.
The government will start by adopting the very first recommendation in the report and set an ambitious target to reduce the rate of South Australian children entering school developmentally vulnerable from 23.8 per cent to 15 per cent within 20 years – well below the national average of 22 per cent.
Work will immediately begin on expanding preschool and Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) in South Australia, starting with an initial investment of $70 million, with more to come.
The State Government will start implementing a further 12 recommendations in the report, including:
The State Government will make an initial commitment of $50 million towards the first tranche of required infrastructure works and $20 million towards starting to implement the recommendations, including:
The State Government will begin engaging with the Federal Government regarding a further six recommendations which require dialogue with the Commonwealth.
This includes South Australia leading a national policy conversation on early childhood education and care and actively engaging with the Commonwealth regarding broad fee relief for families accessing preschool in non-government settings.