Kindergarten could be made free in Qld cost-of-living shake-up

Kindergarten would be made free under a cost of living shake-up being considered by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, in a move that would save Queensland families thousands of dollars a year. TAKE OUR POLL

• EDITORIAL: Cost of living just the start

Kindergarten would be made free under a cost of living shake-up being considered by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, in a move that would save Queensland families thousands of dollars a year.

The measure is being “seriously considered” ahead of the government’s state budget in a month, which Ms Palaszczuk affirmed would have a “firm focus on cost of living”.

She signalled there would be “more than one or two” measures to ease cost of living pressures in the budget, asserting she wasn’t “oblivious” to the hip pocket pain being felt by Queenslanders.

News BCM 29.4.10 kindergarten children generic Pix Derek Moore

“I represent a mainly working class electorate, so I am not oblivious to the fact that there is a lot going on out there,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

The state government is considering making kindergarten free for every child in Queensland, with Ms Palaszczuk warning there was an “increasing gap” in the development of kids that go to kindy and those that skip the year prior to prep.

In Queensland, children attend kindy in the financial year they are scheduled to turn four with educational program designed to be part-time and mirror the school term.

Under the current program 14,000 families — including those who are vulnerable, disadvantaged, of First Nations background, or have triplets — can already access free kindy and save about $4500 a year.

Annastacia Palaszczuk in her office at the Tower of Power. Picture: Lachie Millard

A further 26,000 families can get a reduction of between $500 and $3500 a year on kindergarten costs, depending on whether the child goes to a sessional kindy, a kindy in a long daycare along with other factors like access to family tax benefits.

The Premier is now considering going further with free kindergarten across the board.

“An issue that’s very dear to my heart, and one that I’ve been thinking about a lot … is how can we relieve more pressure on families,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“And I think one of the best ways we can do that is by looking at how can we enhance kindy … (and) it’s something that the Education Minister and I are seriously considering.

“Those early years as so important, they’re absolutely critical.”

It’s understood potential measures to make kindy free in Queensland would complement the federal government’s $55.3bn program to make childcare cheaper for families — including 284,100 in the state — from July.

According to the federal government a family on about $120,000 with a child in care three days a week the changes will cut costs by about $1700 a year.