Early Childhood Development

Mrs PEARCE (King) (14:20): My question is for the Premier. Can the Premier advise the house about the establishment of the office for early childhood development?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:20): I thank the member for King for her question. The member for King has had a lot to do with the development of our early childhood policy, given her interest in the area both on a personal level and also on behalf of her constituents. I am very pleased to report to the member for King and the house more broadly that the state government has now appointed a chief executive for the new office for early childhood development.

We have appointed Ms Kim Little, who we have recruited from the state of Victoria to lead this effort. Both myself and naturally the Minister for Education, who is immediately responsible for the office of early childhood development, have met with Ms Little and I think we have 'struck gold' is probably not the best analogy but I think we have been very, very fortunate to be able to procure the services of Ms Little, whose experience in early childhood education, particularly in the state of Victoria, is extensive.

Ms Little has been responsible for a massive period of change within the state of Victoria in terms of early childhood services, particularly around preschool, and she will lead the reform for the early years system being developed in the state of South Australia and ultimately the delivery of universal preschool for three year olds. One of the key recommendations that came out of the royal commission was the establishment of a brand-new office: the office for early childhood development. This is something we want to get on with establishing expeditiously, hence the appointment of Ms Little at the first available opportunity so she can get on with the work.

The Minister for Education, and the government more broadly, is seeking to bring in a piece of legislation that more formally establishes the office of early childhood development. That is a piece of legislation we aspire to have brought into the parliament at the beginning of next year, but in the interim we can appoint a chief executive who can now get on with the work.

We should not be under any misapprehension about the size and the scale of this challenge. This is the biggest change to education service delivery in South Australia in 50 years. We are effectively providing a whole new year of service delivery for three year olds across the state. We choose to do this not just because we committed to it at the election but because we see it as being the most material and substantial thing that a state government can do to address the opportunity of improving educational outcomes across the system but also the opportunity to improve the volume of early childhood developmental delay that we see in South Australia.

The number I think is, from memory, 23.8 per cent of children who start reception in South Australia have at least one form of developmental delay. Our aspiration is to get that number down to 15 per cent. That is a massive task, and I suspect not just the Minister for Education but also most likely the former Minister for Education, both the Deputy Premier and the deputy leader, appreciate just how herculean an objective that is, but we are committed to it because if we are able to move the needle in the right direction here we don't just change young people's lives but we actually improve the output and the productivity of the state more broadly.

It's not just an education policy; it's an economic policy. Ms Little has the experience and the expertise to deliver on the recommendations of the royal commission, and we are very grateful to be able to announce her appointment.