QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WALSH (Victoria—Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth) (15:14): We believe that children shouldn't miss out on early learning because of their parents' circumstances, but that is exactly what the coalition's activity test did. If a parent lost their job, their child could lose access to early learning. If a parent couldn't find enough work, their child could lose access to early learning.

The coalition locked out children for things that they had absolutely no control over, including the children who had the most to gain from early learning, including First Nations children. We changed that, and we're proud of that. We said that access should be about the child, not their parents' work roster, not whether their mum could pick up another shift.

Our three-day guarantee is now in place, and First Nations children can access five days of subsidised early learning each week. We delivered this, it is working, and every child, including First Nations children, deserve a great start in life.