Tamara Smith MP, Member for Ballina and NSW Greens Early Learning Spokesperson, has welcomed an announcement from the New South Wales government to build a new public preschool adjacent to Wollongbar public school. This comes as the NSW Labor government adopts a key Greens election commitment to build 100 new public preschools in three years.
Last year, the Greens were also able to work with the Labor government to deliver a new public preschool for Lennox Head.
Wollongbar is the subject of rapidly increasing residential growth, particularly among young families.
The Greens are also calling on state and federal governments to negotiate a pay rise for early childhood workers and to end unpaid placements for student studying early childhood education.
Tamara Smith said, "I'm so glad we have been able to deliver another public preschool for Wollongbar, just months after the new preschool for Lennox Head was announced. The construction of 100 new public preschools within three years is a key plank of the Greens' platform, and I'm incredibly pleased to see Labor is willing to work with us on this."
"This is proof that our community is in a powerful position with a minority Labor government and the Greens and independents in balance of power. We can actually address issues like early childhood if we work together," Ms Smith said.
"Public preschools are affordable preschools. I hope this announcement will give local families some relief in the middle of a brutal cost-of-living crisis."
"I'm also aware that rising demand for early childhood education means we need a greater supply of early childhood educators, and the only way to get more early childhood workers is to address pay and conditions. We also need to stop expecting early childhood workers to give up hundreds of hours for free when completing mandatory unpaid student placements. That is a massive barrier to entering the workforce and I hope the government will take action to address it."
"Labor has listened to the Greens on the need for 100 new public schools. I hope they'll listen to us on the needs of early childhood educators as well," Ms Smith concluded.
