Ogilvy Bernie: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ogilvy Bernie: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:618;Page:13547] 
4.  
BERNIE OGILVY (United Future) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Why were the brochures promoting the Government’s plan to provide 20 hours of free early childhood education at community-based centres sent to privately owned early childhood education providers for distribution? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Because the brochures explain how the funding for private centres is being increased for quality improvements and how parents access the substantial increases in childcare subsidies available to families with children in private centres. 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: Does the Minister think it a bit rich to ask early childhood providers to promote policy that is biased against them but benefits their competitors; if not will he agree to allow all Labour electorate offices to stock United Future brochures? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: In reply to the second question first I think it is important that we have a sense of reality when we are dealing with material and therefore the answer to that question is no. In reply to the first question in relation to proportion I am advised that the 3261 community centres will together get approximately $164 million—an average of $50000 each over the 4-year period—and that the 1019 private centres will get an average of $140000 each. I can understand why private centres which are getting nearly three times as much as community centres are a little embarrassed about getting that information out there. 
Lynne Pillay 
: Why is the Government making such a significant investment in quality early childhood education? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Quality early childhood education provides the foundation for future learning. Research has shown that children who participate in quality early childhood education are more likely to succeed at school. They are more likely to read earlier and they are less likely to become truants. They are less likely to be suspended and they are more likely to transition better into secondary school and to have good results in those later assessments. 
Simon Power 
: Is the Minister aware that a survey conducted by the Early Childhood Council found that 31 percent of its centres had binned his brochures and 23 percent had sent them back to the Minister’s office and does he agree that rubbing the faces of private providers in the fact that they would not receive funding for his new policy may have been a bad idea? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I think I explained to the House a minute ago and I will repeat it for the member that the average funding for a private centre is approximately $140000. For a community centre it is $50000. To say that this Government is biased against private centres is just nonsense. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Why were the brochures which claimed that the only way for children to experience quality early childhood education is to pay for more and better qualified teachers sent out to all playcentres implying to the parents who run that service that they are not able to deliver quality early childhood education; and does the Minister really believe what the brochure states? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: A lot of work is going on in the area of playcentres and in quality improvements in parent-led centres. I think that is in that brochure and it is certainly in the regulatory review documents which focus not only on the extra funding which is part of the original decisions but also on the extra regulatory work that will involve improvements right across the sector. 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: Would the Minister consider extending the 20 hours of free education to privately owned providers and others in areas where no community providers exist; if not what does that say about the Government’s level of commitment to ensuring access to early childhood education? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: This Government is very committed to the provision of high-quality early childhood education. There are approximately three times as many community-based centres as there are private centres. They are quite well spread but we are working on increasing the number of them.