WA creates new ministerial portfolio for early childhood – Sabine Winton as first Minister

Western Australia will have a new portfolio exclusively for early childhood education, with Premier Mark McGowan appointing Sabine Winton as its Minister. 

The separation of early childhood education from the broader education portfolio, the Premier said, reflects the importance of early learning in a child’s education journey. 

Ms Winton, a former teacher, will also be the Minister responsible for Child Protection, Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence, and Community Services.

After nearly 10 years in the Education portfolio – including six years as Minister for Education and Training – Sue Ellery will now take on the portfolios of Finance, Commerce, and Women’s Interests, while Tony Buti will take on the Education portfolio, in addition to Aboriginal Affairs, and Citizenship and Multicultural Interests.

The new Parliamentary Secretaries will be Jodie Hanns, Dr Jagadish (Jags) Krishnan, Meredith Hammat, Pierre Yang, and Hannah Beazley.

New Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries were officially sworn in by the Governor of Western Australia at a ceremony at Government House held yesterday.

“Being in Cabinet is a privilege that requires hard work, energy and enthusiasm, dedication, and diplomacy – and I am confident that the new team will deliver on our plan to stand up for every Western Australian and ensure WA continues to be the strongest, most successful and fairest State in the nation, if not the world,” the Premier said. 

The creation of the early childhood portfolio was welcomed by Former SA Premier and Thrive by Five Director Jay Weatherill, who said the appointment of an Early Childhood Education Minister and the elevation of the portfolio to cabinet was a positive step for early learning reform in Western Australia.

“The announcement of the new Early Childhood Education portfolio in WA Cabinet will be life changing for children, women and families across the state,” he said.

“Premier Mark McGowan has signalled Western Australia is joining SA, NSW and Victoria in the race to the top on significant early learning reform.”

For a full list of newly appointed ministers in the McGowan Government, please see here.