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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-05-31 Daily Xml
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Preschool Services

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:07): My question is to the Minister for Education. How does the minister reconcile his last answer with Labor's policy commitments to the people of South Australia before the last election? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr GARDNER: In my last question, the minister—when asked whether preschool for three year olds would start in 2026—referred to a 10-year transition process in Victoria, he referred to capacity problems and he referred to potentially the need for a staged approach; whereas, amongst Labor's policy commitments, I quote: 'Labor's commitment to offer three-year-old preschool to all children in South Australia from 2026—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr GARDNER: Given the interjection, sir—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr GARDNER: —despite leave—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr GARDNER: I seek to quote again: 'Labor's commitment to offer three-year-old preschool to all children in South Australia from 2026', and backed up by Labor's election posters talking about universal access to preschool, their advertisements and their commentary and debates, why now is the minister walking away from a commitment to start this program for all children in 2026?

The Hon. B.I. BOYER (Wright—Minister for Education, Training and Skills) (15:08): I thank the member for his sudden interest in early childhood.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: I'm not going to be lectured to by a party that went into the last election and didn't even have an early childhood policy—did not even have an early childhood policy whatsoever.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: More seat warmers than a Kia Carnival on your side.

The SPEAKER: The minister will be seated.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Members, there are only four minutes of question time remaining. I know you are eager to hear the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wright is called to order. Minister, if you wish to be here to answer, you will come to order. The member for Morialta on a point of order, which I will hear under 134.

Mr GARDNER: Standing order 127 prevents reflection on members and standing order 98 prevents debate. If the minister is embarrassed, he should apologise and answer the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I am going to take in hand 98 only for the moment. I'm not sure that I necessarily heard words that would engage other standing orders, but nevertheless the minister is called to order. I draw the minister's attention to standing order 98 and ask him to chart a line close to the question.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: I'm not embarrassed. I think what we are seeing here really is the world's lamest Jedi mind trick: this is not the former Liberal government you are looking for. You guys are unbelievable.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: It is our election commitment. We stand by it. I think the member just did a pretty incredible job of mischaracterising the answer I gave to his first question. What I spoke about in terms of—

Mr Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: If you will let me finish.

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is called to order.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: Just calm down.

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is called to order.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: My answer to the member for Morialta's first question, when I spoke about a 10-year implementation period and staging, was in reference to what is happening in Victoria, which, along with New South Wales and the ACT, are three of the other jurisdictions that are moving to having three-year-old preschool. Of course, we understand how important it is. The former Liberal government did not and did not support our policy and went to the—

Mr Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: —March 2022 election without an early childhood policy at all.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: It is very easy to reconcile the answer I gave to the member for Morialta's first question. We announced that we would begin universal preschool for three year olds from 2026.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley! Member for Colton!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: I know that it's too much to ask that they read—

The Hon. S.E. Close interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Port Adelaide!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: —the whole paragraph. If they read the entire paragraph, they would know that. The commitment we gave was that we would have a royal commission into how we best deliver it because we know it is a very big task. That royal commission will look at where capacity currently exists in our system to accommodate three year olds, who we hope will take up preschool.

It will also look at how we start it, where we start it and where the priority areas are, because we have some three year olds who have far more vulnerable family backgrounds who may benefit from an early start. These are all the things that the royal commission we have said will look at, so I have no difficulty whatsoever reconciling my answer. I think it's incredibly churlish by those opposite to start taking issue with a policy that they got absolutely nowhere near, an exceptionally important—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond! Member for Morialta! Member for Chaffey!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: —policy area to our state: early childhood. You didn't even have a policy before the election, you bunch of snoozers.

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: You didn't even have a policy.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: If it's so important to you, have a policy on it. Where were you? Still asleep!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The standing orders prevent quarrels between members.

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