Is Australia about to waste a lot of money on preschool?

The $15 billion question

Photo by BBC Creative on Unsplash

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Last week, in a rare moment of unity across the political divide, the Labor government of Victoria and the Coalition government of New South Wales jointly announced a large expansion of preschool education. New South Wales will invest $6 billion and Victoria, $9 billion, in 30 hours a week of provision for all children in the 12 months prior to primary school.

If politicians from opposite ends of the political spectrum can put their differences aside for the sake of the children, then that has to be good news, right? Well, as usual, that depends on the detail.