Zoe McKenzie MP
Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning
Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health
Federal Member for Flinders
Early Childhood Australia is grateful to Zoe McKenzie MP, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning for providing her comments from last week made at the Early Learning Matters Week 2025 Wrap Up Event at Australian Parliament House for The Spoke readership. The audience at the Wrap Up Event included fellow parliamentarians, early childhood professionals, sector leaders, colleagues, advocates and event sponsors. Zoe’s speech in its entirety is published here.
Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to address this collection of distinguished leaders, advocates, policymakers and friends of early childhood education this Early Learning Matters Week. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge: Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Early Childhood, Senator Marielle Smith and Senator Andrew Bragg; Minister for Early Childhood Education, Senator the Hon Dr Jess Walsh; Early Childhood Australia CEO, Sam Page; KU Children’s Services CEO, Chris Legg; Lego Group Vice President and General Manager, Troy Taylor; and Greens Spokesperson for Early Childhood Education, Senator Steph Hodgins-May. I also want to extend apologies from the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Sussan Ley, who was unavailable this morning but wanted me to pass on her very best wishes for the event.
It’s a pleasure to belatedly commemorate Early Learning Matters Week with you all as we mark this important week to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of early learning in shaping the development and wellbeing of children. I want to pay tribute to the wonderful work done by Early Childhood Australia in organising Early Learning Matters Week, running from 18 to 24 August and resulting in 59 registered events, 22 political engagements and a total of 1,851 subscribers to the Early Learning Matters Week initiative. Congratulations!
Early learning is not just about preparing children for school. It’s about building the foundation for a lifetime of learning, health and wellbeing. The first five years of a child’s life are a time of incredible growth. During this period, a child’s brain develops faster than at any other stage, forming more than one million new neural connections every second. What happens in those early years has a lasting impact. Children who participate in quality early learning programs are more likely to succeed in school, find steady employment and enjoy better health throughout life. It is an investment in our nation’s future because our children are our nation’s future. Our children who are learning and playing today will be the leaders, innovators, carers and creators of tomorrow.
Unfortunately, not all Australian children have the same access to early learning opportunities as their peers. Children in rural and remote areas, from Indigenous communities, and households from lower socio-economic backgrounds often face greater barriers. This needs to change. And let’s not forget the important role that
families play. Learning begins at home—with bedtime stories, backyard adventures, songs and conversations. When families and early learning services work together, children thrive. We need to support parents as their children’s first teachers and ensure they have the capacity, flexibility and resourcing they need.
Recently, it’s been a tremendously difficult couple of months for many within the early learning sector and for Australians across the nation engaged with the sector. It is clear to me that the instinctive response of all Australians showcases the vital importance of child safety and protection in early learning settings. The safety and protection of our children should be the single most important consideration in our society, and it’s clear that successive governments have failed to deliver on this.
I have been so encouraged by the collaborative way that leaders across the political divide have worked together to take steps to act on this, and I pay tribute to Minister Clare, Minister Walsh and my colleague Senator Duniam in his capacity as Shadow Education Minister. And while it is vital that all of us in this room take steps to improve the safety and protection of children in early learning, it’s important to remember that there are thousands of Australians working in early learning who teach and care for our children in a safe, fun, educational and inspiring way. To those wonderful people, and to everyone in this room, thank you for your commitment to our children and may we always strive to ensure a better future for them.
Organised by Early Childhood Australia (ECA), Early Learning Matters Week aims to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of early learning in shaping the development and wellbeing of children. We seek to highlight the significant role that early learning plays in laying the foundation for future success and to emphasise the value of quality early childhood education and care.
