All children in NSW and Victoria will have access to 5-days-a-week of free preschool in one of the most significant changes to the education system in decades. Today, Premier Dominic Perrottet and Daniel Andrews (both are seeking reelection in the coming 9 months…) will commit to doubling the hours of free education offered to 4yos in the coming decade. Preschool has had some attention in recent times. Since 2008, all Aussie kids have had access to 15 hours a week of preschool – that saw enrolment surge to 96%, up from 12% in 2008. This change in our 2 most populous states makes preschool/pre-prep available for up to 30 hours a week. They are also set to create government-run, low-fee childcare/kindergarten/pre-prep centres in the states’ “childcare deserts”. It will cost Victoria $9 billion and NSW $5.8 billion. Receiving high-quality early childhood education is linked with better health, education and work outcomes down the track, and ANU Associate Professor Ben Edwards says the development is “huge”.