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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
$200m funding boost for NSW childcare centres helping to close the educational gap
Tucked away on the south coast of New South Wales, a group of toddlers from many cultural backgrounds are singing together. Eyes beaming, full of energy, they chant the following words off by heart: "Here are my friends and here am I, we thank the Dharawal people for the land, we learn and play, we pay respects to our elders, past, present, and future," which is followed by a big round of applause. It's a celebrated practice at Noogaleek Children's Centre — an Aboriginal-led early childhood centre just outside of Wollongong, and while placements are prioritised for Aboriginal children, the service has become a safe, inclusive space for non-Indigenous children too. For years, Ryan Martin had been tirelessly searching for a supportive preschool that could empower his son with special needs. "My beautiful boy, he's got autism, so we were looking around, but some of them couldn't quite accommodate my son," he said. "He was nervous; he was very shy, but the teachers here gave him a boost of confidence." It wasn't long before there was a positive shift in his son's learning and a natural curiosity to learn more about First Nations culture. "Coming from a non-English background, my son asked me what the drawings [around the centre] are about, and we said, 'They're about the owners of this beautiful country,'" he explained. For Noogaleek service director Samantha Henry — whose grandchildren also attend the centre — community and culture are at the heart of everything they do. "Children need to feel a sense of belonging; they need to know their cultural identity. It's who they are, and they carry that through their whole lives," she said. Noogaleek Children's Centre opened in 1996 as a small community-run centre and has since expanded, moving locations to accommodate the demand. But with unstable funding arrangements, Ms Henry said they had to make tough decisions, like cutting a bus service that helped children get to school, as well as reducing staff. "It's a real shame because our families rely on that bus to get their children here, so we have children that can't access our service," she said. This week, the NSW government announced the details of a $200.9 million investment to increase Aboriginal-led early childhood services across the state over the next four years. In partnership with 41 existing Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) across NSW, 15 new early-childhood services are set to open their doors, creating 870 new placements for First Nations children to attend preschool. The first service is expected to open in 2026. Locations of other centres will be determined by the community through consultation. The package is set to enable thousands of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children to learn Aboriginal languages at preschool, while providing support for families to help their children achieve their learning and development goals. The recent annual Closing the Gap report by the Productivity Commission showed that only a third of First Nations children were developmentally on track and ready for school across the country. In NSW, that gap between First Nations children and all other Australian children is almost 20 per cent. For preschool centres like Noogaleek, having secure funding means they can provide essential services, like reinstating the school bus for families. "It helps get those little things that we wouldn't have been able to do if we had to have someone telling us where the money is to be spent," she said. Catherine Liddle, the CEO of national peak body SNAICC (Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care), said early learning centres and services designed by First Nations people will close the educational gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. "We know that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are able to design their own responses, we get better results," she said. "They are the gold standard in early education and care, so ensuring that more Aboriginal communities are able to stand up those services, that more of our children are able to attend those services, we know that the future looks brighter." Ms Liddle says that also means employing more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, which the NSW government is hoping to increase through mentoring opportunities and scholarships funded by the package. In addition to supporting Aboriginal-led centres, the funding aims to improve access to public preschools. NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said in a statement: "We know that this funding boost to early learning is crucial to helping us Close the Gap by ensuring children get off to a great start with high-quality, culturally appropriate early childhood education. "This boost in funding forms part of our government's investment of more than $700 million to improve the lives of Aboriginal people, which includes $246 million delivered through Closing the Gap, in partnership with the Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations (CAPO)." For grandparents like Aunty Cheryl Wakeham, enrolling her granddaughter Tully in an Aboriginal preschool has fostered meaningful connections and strengthened her identity. "It makes me extremely proud because they have that cultural knowledge now," Ms Wakeham said. "Tully has learned about aunties, cousins and a big family she may not have known if she had not come here. "She loves coming and can't wait to go to big school," she said. The details of the NSW government's multi-million-dollar package also coincided with National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day — a national event organised by SNAICC. Held annually on August 4 and continuing across the month, the date was an "assigned" birthday for children of the Stolen Generations, who didn't know their birth date because they were taken without family consultation under racist government policies. "When children were removed, they were too young to know who they were or where they'd been born," Ms Liddle explained. "That is the day we remind all children, never be ashamed of who you are, to be proud of who you're connected to, who you come from, and the future that you hold in your hands." Hundreds of early childhood centres and schools across the country are celebrating this year's theme: "Little Footsteps, Big Future", which Ms Liddle says is about uplifting the next generation. "If our children are strong in their culture, if they're strong in their identity, then we know they're going to have strong futures, and after all, that's what they are our future leaders," she said.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Japanese company to build the Royal Australian Navy's new $10 billion warship fleet
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
The guilt you feel when you can't do more for an aging parent
Every time Jennifer visits her mum in aged care, she leaves with the same feeling. "I come home to a lovely house, and I feel guilty that I'm sitting, laughing while watching TV, and she can't even get someone to turn the channel," the 69-year-old from regional NSW says. Jennifer was caring for her mum, who has dementia, at home for many years. She felt forced to place her in residential care when the system could no longer provide appropriate support for her and her mum. Jennifer, who asked that we not include her surname for privacy, says home services often wouldn't show up, and the funding wasn't covering the level of care her mum needed. "My beautiful mother had been a single mum of three and cared for me until I left home at 20. "She had been a strong woman who worked all her life until aged 80, and I sadly had to place her with strangers. Carer's Australia CEO Annabel Reid says these feelings are common among carers who wish to do more for their aging parents. "They are trying to make the best possible decisions to care for other people. "They often feel guilty about 'are they doing the right thing?'" Carers may also face other barriers that mean they can't give the support they would like to, Ms Reid says, such as time or logistical constraints, other responsibilities, like caring for children, and inflexible workplaces. "They are key challenges that make it hard for the carer to do the best job they can." Jennifer's mum came to live on her property in a separate dwelling when she was 80 years old. Ten years later, she moved into the main home with Jennifer and her husband after falling and fracturing her hip. "I was working full-time, rescuing animals, dealing with some of my husband's health issues, and caring for mum. "Then we had the floods." Jennifer says it was a tough time. She was getting up several times a night to help her mum to the toilet. She hadn't been away from the property for years. But Jennifer says she would still be doing it today if she could. She's one of three siblings but the only one involved with her mum's care, and says the in-home aged care system let her and her mum down. "There would be days you would make arrangements, like 'I'll go into work today', then [a support] worker wouldn't turn up. "You find it very hard to run your life at all with some certainty." Jennifer travels to her mum's residential care 80 kilometres away three times a week to visit and provide additional support. But the guilt remains. "She was walking when she went in 18 months ago. Now she's gained 10 kilograms, and her cognitive decline has [been noticeable]," Jennifer says. It's common for carers to feel like they can't give everyone and everything in their life the attention needed, says Ms Reid. "Being a carer comes with a lot of stress — there is administration on behalf of the other person, as well as physical care. "We know lots of carers care for more than one person. They are often stretched across multiple people." Ms Reid says the caring load takes its toll. "We often hear from carers that they are placing themselves last. Their own well-being is compromised, including physical and mental health." Aside from competing demands such as work and family, Ms Reid says major barriers to carers include not being connected to support services and navigating complex systems. "I don't know anyone who has had to do [a] My Aged Care application or NDIS application that hasn't found it really hard. Ms Reid says she "feels particularly" for carers in rural, remote and even regional areas. "The logistics shouldn't be overlooked. They can be big and difficult to manage." Feelings of guilt while caring for an aging parent can arise for many reasons, explains Elisabeth Shaw, CEO at Relationships NSW. "There can be guilt for intruding, and maybe not knowing how to get [the caring] right. "Also, the guilt of feeling resentful or overwhelmed, or dropping the ball here and there, just because the next generation is caught up with their own lives as well. "You're not as free to devote yourself to your parent, perhaps as much as you'd like to. "Of course, there are also people who don't want to devote themselves, and they can also feel guilty around that." Ms Shaw says for those who would like to do more but can't, "let that be fuel to make a good decision". "Own where you are up to, and once you have owned it, have an effective plan B. Sometimes by resolving that, you are freed up to take more part in the situation." Ms Reid says carers will feel more supported when they start to recognise themselves as carers. "Most carers consider themselves a sister, or brother, or daughter. "If you are a carer, there are supports out there for you. I encourage them to visit Carers Australia and connect with their local carers organisation, which offer a lot of supports like counselling and peer groups." She also suggests people build up their own local support networks. "If someone can help you with just the smallest of tasks … like picking up some groceries … that can just give you the small breather you need to get through."
