Potential Unrealised

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Making pre-school more affordable for families would lead to more children finishing school, lower unemployment, less crime and better health outcomes, according to new research from Impact Economics and Policy.

But the research, which was released in partnership with Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaign, found recent announcements of free pre-school in NSW and Victoria are being undermined by the Federal Government’s Activity Test.

The research found between 18,100 and 23,900 more Australian children would finish high school if two years of pre-school was made universally accessible. The benefits from increased school retention would add up to $27.3 billion to the economy.

The total lifetime benefits of increasing access to two years of pre-school would add up to $40.9 billion to the economy through increased earnings and less need for social services such as Centrelink.

The report was covered by The Herald Sun and ABC News Radio.