Beyond price and access – The next frontiers in a ‘universal’ early childhood education and care system

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has risen on the national agenda and become a major political issue, with public debates focusing on cost, access, quality, and the workforce. 

With this in mind, this year’s lecture will be delivered by Professor Peter Hurley, Director of Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute, whose ongoing work on ‘childcare deserts’ has been instrumental in shaping national policy discussions, advocating for targeted investments in underserved areas, and reforms toward a more equitable early childhood education system.    

The re-election of the Albanese government and their stated commitment to a ‘universal’ ECEC system highlights the need to shift the parameters of current policy debates. Professor Hurley’s presentation will explore some of the discourses that have shaped the design of Australia’s 

ECEC system and how these discourses have been central to many of the current policy challenges. It argues for the need to liberate ECEC policy from a discussion about price and access so that a new conversation can occur about what Australia wants its ‘universal’ ECEC system to be.    

Registration – The 2025 June Wangmann Memorial Lecture: Beyond Price and Access: The Next Frontiers in a ‘Universal’ Early Childhood Education and Care System