QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WALSH (Victoria—Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth) (15:00): Thank you, Senator Whiteaker, for your question and for your belief that every child deserves access to quality early learning. Every child deserves a great start in life, but too many families don't have the option to send their child to early education and care in our outer suburbs, in our regions and in areas of disadvantage.

That is why today matters. We have now signed a building early education agreement with every single state and territory—every state, every territory, every jurisdiction. This is a significant milestone in our delivery of quality universal early childhood education and care.

Our final agreement with the Northern Territory will deliver $8.7 million for a new 60-place early learning centre at Manunda Terrace Primary School in Karama. We want an Aboriginal community controlled organisation to operate the service because community controlled centres are culturally safe, trusted by families and deliver great outcomes. We've committed to building a new early learning centre in Tennant Creek, too.

This means more early learning in the Territory, more places for Territory children and more support for Territory families. Across Australia, we are delivering 42 projects in the regions and the suburbs that need them the most, creating more than 2,500 additional places, supporting thousands of children and thousands of families with quality not-for-profit early learning where it's needed most for generations to come.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Whiteaker, first supplementary?