The Parenthood is presenting a series of 3 free online panel events in November with Business Chicks and Thrive by Five, with expert speakers and leaders who will inform and inspire, explaining why investing in universal access to high quality early education is the smart choice for Australia. The first webinar on 12 November explored why overhauling early education is the key to gender equality at work.  The panel included Georgie Dent from The Parenthood, Jay Weatherill from Thrive by Five, Emma Carter as an Aboriginal Early Learning expert and longterm advocate for women Wendy McCarthy AO.

Working Australian families pay more for childcare than similar countries.  The considerable cost of not funding early learning will be borne by children and families as well as the economy. And the staff are 97% women, often with CALD backgrounds, who are underpaid for their qualifications and expertise – it’s a career not just a job.

My summary: it's about parents [not just mums], it's about children [not just the economy], it's about early learning [not just childcare].  Mainstream solutions can't simply be transferred to Aboriginal communities - they need to be adapted to local cultural needs. The next free webinar is on the Juggle of Work and Care, Tuesday 17 November.

Kate Noble from the Mitchell Institute summarises preschool funding across states and territories in The Conversation – much more complex than many of us realise – and exhorts that consistent and adequate funding should be an election issue.