The ‘triple-whammy’ of benefits Victoria’s $9bn kinder and childcare package will deliver

Parents will save thousands of dollars on childcare and kindergarten under a $9 billion state government package.

Under the plan, four-year-old kinder will be called “pre-prep” and increased from the current 15 hours per week to 30 hours a week from 2025.

Subsidies of up to $2500 will also be provided for kinder for three and four-year-olds, and 5000 new lower-cost childcare places will be made available at 50 new state-run centres.

CEO of the Victorian Council of Social Services, Emma King, says it’s a “phenomenal” package that will deliver enormous benefits to families.

“What we’re describing is a triple whammy of benefits — it’s going to make a huge difference to kids as well as being a cost of living package and a workforce equity package,” she told Neil Mitchell.

“James Heckman, who’s a Nobel Prize winning economist, he’s been able to demonstrate that when you’ve got high-quality support for early learning you get a 13 per cent return on investment for every dollar, for every child, for every year of their life over a lifetime, so it’s a phenomenal investment that’s going to make a huge difference to kids lives.”

Press PLAY below to hear more about the $9 billion plan