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SNAICC in the News – Connected Beginnings Ballarat site announcement

The week of 17 June 2024 media coverage features the announcement that Ballarat has been selected as a new location for the Connected Beginnings program, as well as discussions on the early education sector, The Point: Road Trip premier and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander play, Stolen.

Ballarat has been selected as the newest location for the Connected Beginnings program, aimed at supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The Ballarat Connected Beginnings program will be run by Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative (BADAC) and will incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practices to holistically support children’s wellbeing.

Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, discussed the Centre for Policy Development’s report recommendations on childcare reforms with Adam Eves from National Indigenous Radio Services and also participated in the Thrive by Five’s Country Kids and Communities Virtual Event. An upcoming episode of The Point, “What’s It Going to Take to Fix Alice?” airing on 16 July, will feature Catherine Liddle and host John Paul Janke exploring issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The Sydney Theatre Company play Stolen tells the stories of five members of the Stolen Generations who were forcibly removed from their families in early childhood and also explores current issues highlighted in reports like the Family Matters report. The play runs until 6 July.

For complete coverage, read the news and media stories linked below.

Topic: Connected Beginnings Ballarat site announcement

This week saw the announcement that Ballarat has been selected as the newest location for the Connected Beginnings program, which aims to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in gaining the best start in life.

Connected Beginnings aims to improve access to existing early childhood, maternal and child health and family support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, to ensure they are safe, healthy and ready to thrive at school by the age of five. The Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative (BADAC) will run the Ballarat Connected Beginnings program, which will draw on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural and educational practices of wrapping around a child to ensure a child’s holistic needs are met and their overall wellbeing is looked after.

BADAC’s Chief Executive, Karen Heap, highlighted the rapid growth of the First Nations community in the area, with a notable increase in young children. Reportedly, there are over 200 Aboriginal babies born in Ballarat each year. BADAC has a strong track record of providing culturally sensitive and high-quality early education. With the new funding and the expansion of Connected Beginnings, the organisation aims to support around 350 First Nations children in Ballarat, ensuring they are school-ready and set up for lifelong success.

Federal early education minister Anne Aly and Ballarat MP Catherine King emphasised the importance of early childhood development during their visit to BADAC’s Yirram Burron Early Learning Centre. Minister Aly noted that 90% of brain development occurs by age five, making these early years critical. She praised the Connected Beginnings program for its comprehensive support that intertwines education, healthcare and parental support.

The Connected Beginnings program, which is currently operating in over 40 locations across Australia, has seen positive outcomes, such as increased attendance in early childhood education and improved developmental milestones. The Ballarat expansion is part of a larger $81.8 million federal investment to establish 50 sites across the country, with existing sites in Victoria including Mildura, Shepparton and Whittlesea.

For full coverage, view the media stories linked below.

Article: Ensuring First Nations children in Ballarat are school ready The Hon Dr Anne Aly MP, Senator The Hon Malarndirri McCarthy, The Hon Catherine King MP (Joint Media Release) (released 20 June)

Excerpt: Quotes attributable to Chief Executive Officer of SNAICC Catherine Liddle

““The Ballarat Aboriginal community is very supportive of Connected Beginnings, and of BADAC taking on the backbone role to drive the program.
“BADAC’s experience in delivering early childhood programs and family support services, along with their record in building strong community networks, gives them a strong foundation to build a program informed by local knowledge.
“Under Connected Beginnings, more Aboriginal children in the Ballarat region will have access to culturally safe integration of services such as maternal and child health, early childhood education and care and family support services. They will get the support they need to ensure they have a successful transition to big school.””

 

Read the Media Release

Article: Ballarat Connected Beginnings site announcement The Hon Dr Anne Aly MP (Speech) (released 20 June)

Excerpt:

“The Connected Beginnings program is an excellent example of what can be achieved when you listen and involve community. The program connects First Nations children aged zero to five with a range of early childhood education, health and family support services to help them meet the learning and development milestones that are necessary to achieve a positive transition into school. It’s delivered in partnership with SNAICC, our National Voice for our Children, and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.
The Connected Beginnings program is a community led project that is delivering results. At existing sites of Connected Beginnings, the average attendance of First Nations children in centre-based care has increased by more than 10 per cent. Existing sites have also seen an increase in the number of children on track in all five Australian early development census domains.”

 

Read the Media Release

Article: Doorstop – Ballarat (Interview) The Hon Dr Anne Aly MP (Interview) (released 20 June)

Excerpt:

“The second thing is really recognising the cultural practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working with community on those cultural practices, those kinds of wrap-around services that I mentioned before that is really entrenched in Aboriginal culture, in how they raise children and how their understanding and their approach to child development, which is actually a model for all child development, really.
Like I said, you can’t really disentangle education, from healthcare, from parenting, from a whole range of other things. So, it’s important because it does. We have a gap that’s a well-documented gap. And we know that Connected Beginnings makes such a difference to closing that gap.”

 

Read the Media Release

Article: How investing in pre-schoolers will pay big dividends into the future – The Courier (published 20 June)

Excerpt:
“Every year more than 200 First Nations babies are born in Ballarat and a new program will work to ensure their first five years of life set them up for the best possible future.
Ballarat will become a site of the Connected Beginnings program, which connects First Nations children aged from birth to five with a range of early childhood health, education and family support services to help children meet the milestones needed for a positive transition to school.
Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative (BADAC) will run the program in Ballarat with $1.8 million of funding from the federal government.”
Read the full article (please note: paywall)

Topic: Catherine Liddle interview

Last week, SNAICC welcomed the Centre for Policy Development’s report that recommended significant reforms to the early education sector.

Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, spoke with Adam Eves from National Indigenous Radio Services about the Centre for Policy Development’s report, which recommended providing free or very low-cost childcare to all children, regardless of their parent’s income. She says the report’s recommendations are ideas that SNAICC has long advocated for. Key reforms the report recommended include subsidised childcare that is free to parents or costs no more than $10 per day, more needs-based support and the elimination of the activity test.

Listen to the full interview linked below.
Listen to the full interview

Topic: Country Kids and Communities virtual event presented by Thrive by Five

Catherine Liddle, the CEO of SNAICC (Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care), was a guest at the recent Thrive by Five Country Kids and Communities virtual event.

Joined by Minister for Regional Development Kristy McBain, Shadow Minister Darren Chester and other key contributors, Catherine shared valuable insights on the unique challenges faced by parents and educators in rural and remote communities.

Speakers include:

  • Rural parents and educators
  • Minister for Regional Development, Kristy McBain
  • Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Darren Chester
  • Thrive by Five’s Jay Weatherill
  • Royal Far West’s Jacqui Emery
  • CEO of Yarriambiack Shire Council, Tammy Smith
  • CEO of SNAICC, Catherine Liddle
Watch the full panel linked below.
Watch the full video

Topic: The Point: Road Trip

In a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, it has been announced that The Point, NITV’s acclaimed current affairs show, will premiere its latest season, The Point: Road Trip, during NAIDOC Week 2024.

Premiering at 7:30 pm 9 July on NITV, the community-led series, The Point, will travel the country to highlight the perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and investigate important issues that affect our communities all over Australia. The second episode, ‘What’s It Going to Take to Fix Alice?’, will premiere on Tuesday, 16 July, and will focus on Mparntwe/Alice Springs, with host John Paul Janke investigating the question of how we ‘Keep our children safe?’. Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, will appear in this episode.

For more information, read the SBS media release linked below.
View Media Release

Topic: Stolen

Stolen is currently being staged at Sydney Theatre Company and tells the stories of five members of the Stolen Generations who were forcibly removed from their families in early childhood.

Stolen is directed by Wilman Noongar man Ian Michael and has a profound personal significance for the director, influencing their journey from acting school auditions to their current position as Resident Director at Sydney Theatre Company. Michael’s production vision emphasises both the resilience and pain inherent in each character’s story, with the goal of authentically honouring their experiences.

Written by Muruwari woman Jane Harrison in 1992, Stolen (originally titled The Lost Children) draws from testimonies collected with researcher Antoinette Braybrook, shaping a powerful theatrical document of Australia’s historical injustices. The play’s enduring relevance is underscored by its exploration of ongoing issues highlighted in reports like Bringing Them Home and the Family Matters report that shed light on the alarming statistics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care today. 

Stolen runs at Sydney Theatre Company until 6 July, taking audiences on a powerful, introspective journey through the lives and legacies of the Stolen Generations.

For more information, read the full ABC news article linked below.
Read the full article

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