BSL Talks - Tackling Poverty in the Early Years

BSL Talks - Tackling Poverty in the Early Years 

One in six Australian children are currently living in poverty. Australia is ranked 32 out of 38 wealthy countries on child well-being. At the recent early years Summit, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth revealed that in 2021, for the first time since 2009, “around 45 per cent of Australia’s children are experiencing higher rates of developmental vulnerability in at least one area.”

The Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) invites you to hear from BSL Executive Director Travers McLeod, Jay Weatherill, Director of Thrive by Five, Prof. Deborah Brennan, Associate Commissioner at the Productivity Commission and Gretchen Young, National Program Manager at SNAICC - National Voice for our Children, as they discuss the current state of play and the best way to improve our early childhood development approach to ensure every child in Australia has the best possible start to life.

With the Federal Government currently developing the Early Years Strategy, there is no better time to examine how to best rebuild a system that is currently inaccessible, outdated, fragmented and unaffordable for the families who need it most.