Anti-Poverty Week welcomes the Federal Government’s commitment to develop an Early Years Strategy. Our submission addresses how the implementation of the Strategy can best reduce child poverty in Australia.
We agree with the discussion paper that “The first 1000 days (from conception, throughout pregnancy and to the end of the second year) is particularly important to health and development. This is the time when there is most capacity to shape outcomes. As children get older it can become harder to reverse the impacts of early adverse experiences and improve their life trajectory. Gaps in early childhood continue throughout life. If a gap emerges and doesn’t close by the age of 5 it is likely to persist, especially for children experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage.”
Our submission relates specifically to questions 3, 4, and 5 posed in the Discussion Paper.
Question 3: Outcomes
Answer: halve child poverty by 2030 in keeping with our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Question 4: What specific areas/policy priorities should be included in the Strategy and why?
Answer: reducing child poverty should be the number one priority and the reason why is that poverty is the critical underpinning of all aspects of children’s wellbeing.
Question 5: What could the Commonwealth do to improve outcomes for children— particularly those who are born or raised in more vulnerable and/or disadvantaged circumstances?
Answer: take action to reduce child poverty.