Victorian government unveils $26.7 million early childhood education support package | Sky News Australia

Australia News News

Victorian government unveils $26.7 million early childhood education support package | Sky News Australia
Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines
  • 📰 SkyNewsAust
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 21 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 12%
  • Publisher: 78%

The Andrews government has announced a $26.7 million kindergarten support package to assist parents and young students heading into term four.

4min

Victorian Deputy Premier James Merlino revealed $13 million of the package will go to free sessional kindergarten to help parents with fees, providing payments of around $500 per child for term four across the whole state. An additional $3 million will also be allocated to support highly vulnerable children, as well as an extra 5 hours of kindergarten provided for those disadvantaged children.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

SkyNewsAust /  🏆 7. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Victorian mental health support targeting remote learning disengagement | Sky News AustraliaVictorian mental health support targeting remote learning disengagement | Sky News AustraliaVictorian Deputy Premier James Merlino has countered claims remote learning impacts all children negatively, saying some have flourished while others have struggled under the altered education conditions. \n\n“There have been kids that have thrived under remote learning and others that have suffered under remote learning, whether that is academic or mental health,' he said.\n\n“What we made sure is that every school has a dedicated well-being team.\n\n“There has been real deep engagement supporting kids that are struggling.\n\nMr Merlino warned there a cohort of highly vulnerable children that were “struggling” and mental health support had attempted to “engage kids were disengaging.'\n\nImage: Getty
Read more »

Victorians make legal challenges over Andrews government lockdown measures | Sky News AustraliaVictorians make legal challenges over Andrews government lockdown measures | Sky News AustraliaThe Andrews government has faced three court challenges over lost work as a result of the state's second wave measures.\n\nSmall business owner Michelle Loielo launched a Supreme Court writ claiming the controversial curfew was disproportionate, unreasonable and a violation of human rights.\n\nMs Loielo said lockdowns were responsible for a 99 per cent loss in her revenue.\n\nA separate class action was launched on behalf of retrenched workers who claimed their job losses were a direct result of Victoria's lockdown measures.\n\nThe lead plaintiff - a 21-year-old warehouse worker - claimed stage four restrictions were imposed as a direct result of hotel quarantine failures made by the Andrews government.\n\nThe court challenges join another class action launched last month.\n\nImage: News Corp Australia
Read more »

Victorian chief health officer fronts hotel quarantine inquiry | Sky News AustraliaVictorian chief health officer fronts hotel quarantine inquiry | Sky News AustraliaVictorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has admitted to the inquiry into Melbourne’s hotel quarantine system that he did not know the program was going ahead prior to its announcement. \n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison announced the program at a press conference on March 27, which Mr Sutton said he was not aware of until the announcement was made. \n\nThe chief health officer was also questioned on whether the quarantine system would have been more effective it the government had taken a recommendation made in 2011 following the 2009 swine flu pandemic. \n\nA prominent feature of the inquiry so far from those who assist set up the program was that it was done in a hasty and confusing manner. \n\nOne of the recommendations from the 2011 report was to implement a more unified approach to the quarantine process across the states and the Commonwealth.\n\nIn response to the report, Mr Sutton said he “absolutely took [the] point that consideration of this recommendation and a pre-existing ready to stand up program would have been of greater existence compared to setting up a program de novo”. \n\nHe also revealed to the inquiry he, at the time, had no view on using private security guards to secure the hotel quarantine and was not actually aware they were being employed until the outbreaks at the Stanford and Rydges hotels were reported. \n\nMr Sutton said in hindsight he could appreciate the difficulties of using a casual work force. \n\nImage: News Corp Australia
Read more »

Victorian health minister concedes hospital restrictions are 'very challenging' | Sky News AustraliaVictorian health minister concedes hospital restrictions are 'very challenging' | Sky News AustraliaVictorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has admitted restrictions surrounding hospital visits are “very challenging” after reports emerged of a mother being denied seeing her child who is on life support in a Melbourne hospital. \n\n“My thoughts are with that family. I can't imagine the heartbreak that they're going through at the moment and if there's anything that I can do to assist that family, I'm very happy to look into this case,' she told the media. \n\nMs Mikakos said she was not familiar with the case but was willing to investigate it further.\n\nThe Health Minister affirmed the strict rules around visitations were formulated following the chief health officer’s directions earlier in the year amid fears of virus outbreaks among health workers. \n\n“They have been developed in close consultation with health services and with peak bodies... who had a lot of concerns earlier in the year about the risks to staff, to health care workers, of large numbers of visitors coming through our hospitals,” she said. \n\n'The hospitals have the ability to, I guess, go beyond that and impose even stricter rules if they think that's appropriate to their particular circumstances. \n\n“There are exemptions there for palliative care situations. I think, you know, there is a need to have some flexibility on a case-by-case basis here where you've got such a tragic case.”\n\nImage: News Corp Australia \n\n
Read more »

Victorian lockdown impact to be 'laid bare' in August unemployment figures | Sky News AustraliaVictorian lockdown impact to be 'laid bare' in August unemployment figures | Sky News AustraliaInvestSMART’s Evan Lucas says Australia’s August unemployment numbers set to be released on Thursday will take into account the entire Victorian lockdown scenario.\n\nMr Lucas said the numbers would be negative and were difficult to gauge correctly due to the JobKeeper program. \n\n“The Victorian effect will finally be laid bare today with how much unemployment in Victoria has now happened because of stage four lockdowns,” he said.\n\nHe said the United States Federal Reserve had come to the point where “monetary policy is running out of its ability to actually react to the market and to react to the economy and needs to get fiscal policy to support it”.\n\n'That is exactly what our RBA is saying at the moment,' he said.\n\nImage: Getty\n\n
Read more »

Calls mounting to extend backpacker visas to support Australian industries | Sky News AustraliaCalls mounting to extend backpacker visas to support Australian industries | Sky News AustraliaCalls are mounting for working backpackers in Australia to be granted an extension of their visas to stay longer and support the nation’s tourism industry. \n\nATIC Executive Director Simon Westaway told Sky News about 70,000 backpackers remained which was only half the number normally in Australia at any one time, while expectations placed between 20,000 and 30,000 still in the country heading into 2021. \n\nHe said backpackers, as well as students, should be allowed to stay in the country longer to support associated industries, particularly those in regional areas. \n\nMr Westaway also said efforts were being made to work on existing travel bans and to lift the 4000 person cap on weekly international arrivals. \n \n“I think it’s important that we find a way of lifting that cap both symbolically and also importantly opens up the opportunity ultimately for backpackers to come back in the market,” he said. \n\n“We think backpackers are actually really the easy option and probably the best first-term option to get people back in Australia because they will be prepared to self-quarantine, they do want to stay a period of time here, up to three years. \n\n“So that, we think, is a pilot really worth getting behind.” \n\nImage: News Corp Australia \n\n\n
Read more »



Render Time: 2025-03-22 12:21:50