A Jess Wilson-led Liberal and Nationals Government will commit $800,000 over four years to secure the By Five Early Years Initiative to give Wimmera Southern Mallee children the best opportunity to thrive in learning and life.
The initiative had lapsed after the Labor Government ceased funding in 2025.
The $200,000 a year will keep By Five’s local coordination team working with families, councils, schools, health services and early-years providers across the region.
Shadow Minister for Mental Health Emma Kealy said children in regional Victoria deserved the same start in life as children in Melbourne.
“By Five is exactly what a community-led program should look like. Local people identified the problem, built the solution and delivered results. Labor let the funding lapse anyway,” Ms Kealy said.
“Where a child grows up should never decide whether they get the early support they need. Regional kids deserve the same start as kids in Melbourne, and regional Victoria will only get a fair share under a Liberal and Nationals Government.”
By Five was funded in 2021 as a partnership across health, education, local government and early childhood services, working with the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. It reaches families in the Lowan, Mildura and Murray Plains electorates.
Before being decimated by Labor cuts, some of the initiative achievements included:
- Child developmental vulnerability across the region fell by 25 per cent over four years and the region outperformed Victorian and national trends for the first time in 12 years.
- A redesigned paediatric model reached 520 children, supported more than 100 local professionals, cut waiting times by 75 per cent and reduced the need for families to travel outside their community.
- Five rural and remote schools boasted weekly in-reach speech pathology, occupational therapy and psychology services.
- A clear plan with practical solutions to overcome barriers to rural childcare access, identifying what needs to change, who is responsible across government, and the actions needed to make it happen.
The Nationals’ commitment will secure By Five’s core coordination role, sustaining local partnerships, monitoring outcomes and advocating for efficient rural funding and service models. This funding will provide the momentum to turn plans into practical improvements, making better use of resources to reach children and families, whether in Rainbow, Goroke or St Arnaud.
“These are real kids getting services earlier, closer to home, and families spending less time on the road and on waiting lists,” Ms Kealy said.
“The Labor Government walked away from this program in 2025 despite the evidence. A Liberal and Nationals Government will back local leadership, community voices and protect the gains already made giving families in the Wimmera Southern Mallee confidence they haven’t been forgotten.”
