Zoe McKenzie MP
Federal Member for Flinders
Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning
Fresh data from the 2024 Australian Early Development Census is in – and it’s not good news. More children are now falling behind in every key area of development, from physical health to emotional maturity.
The AEDC, a national snapshot taken every three years, tracks how kids are doing as they start school. This year’s results show a clear slide: the number of children on track across all five key areas has dropped from 54.8% in 2021 to just 52.9% in 2024.
Under Labor, more kids are starting school on the back foot.
The AEDC revealed that the percentage of children who are ‘developmentally vulnerable’ – meaning they face significant challenges – has increased in all five measured areas since 2021. Here’s the scorecard:
- Physical health and wellbeing: 10% of kids now falling behind – up 0.2 percentage points.
- Social competence: 7% struggling – up 1.1 percentage points.
- Emotional maturity: 10% – up 1.5 percentage points.
- Language and cognitive skills: 7% – up 0.4 percentage points.
- Communication skills and general knowledge: 9% – up 0.5 percentage points.
Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning, Zoe McKenzie, said the results are a blight on Labor’s record:
“Since the last time the Australian Early Development Census was conducted – in 2021, while the Coalition was still in power – our children’s development has fallen backward on every count.”
“When it comes to key developmental skills – from emotional maturity, to cognitive skills, to how to communicate – Labor are five-for-five on failure.”
“No matter how you slice it, the numbers are heading the wrong way – and it’s our kids paying the price.”
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