NATIONALS' PUSH FOR PRE-SCHOOL MOVE

The Nationals' will continue their push to have responsibility for pre-schools moved to the Department of Education, with a motion before State Parliament.

The Nationals' Education spokesman, Gippsland MP Peter Hall, will put a very specific motion, which he says will test the Bracks' Government's commitment to pre-school education.

"The motion is very simple," Mr Hall said. "It is 'that this house calls on the Victorian Government move the responsibility for pre-schools from the Department of Human Services to the Department of School Education.'

"It is imperative that the State Government moves on this issue, for the sake of pre-schools and our children, who are currently being short changed by the State Government."

Mr Hall said the fact is that pre-school, or kindergarten, is the first part of the education system.

"The first experiences in the formal education system give children the foundations for future literacy and numeracy skills and the communication or social skills needed to succeed in later life.

"At the same time, the current system is actively discriminating against pre-school families and teachers."

The State average pre-school fee is now $165 per term or $660 per year for 10 hours of pre-school per week, an increase of more than 300 percent in the past decade.

"It is a costly exercise for young families. If pre-schools were administered by the Department of Education then the only fee asked of parents would be the same voluntary fee asked of parents of school aged children," Mr Hall said.

There is also increasing pressure brought about by the difference in rates of pay for kinder teachers.

"Pre-school teachers have tertiary qualifications equivalent to primary teachers, but are paid less than their primary school colleagues and have less access to professional training and support services.

"It does not take much reasoning to see that the impact is that university graduates are favouring positions as primary teachers, where they can access better pay and conditions. That just exacerbates the preschool teacher shortage," Mr Hall said.

He added that Victoria and NSW were the only states or territories in Australia that do not include kindergartens in the education system.

"If we are serious about giving our children the best start in life, they should have access to the best possible early education system that we can provide. What I am proposing in this motion will go a long way towards resolving many of these issues.

"We will also see how serious the Bracks' Government is about addressing this problem. The motion I am proposing is a chance for them to do something, instead of letting the situation deteriorate further."

Media contact: Peter Hall's office (03) 5174 7066