Office for Early Childhood Development Act 2024

Without limiting section 6, the Office has the following additional functions in respect of Aboriginal children:

to drive the cultural safety of early childhood education and care services for Aboriginal children;

to align supports and services with the needs of Aboriginal children by partnering with Aboriginal families and organisations;

to support measures aimed at implementing national agreements relevant to the early childhood development of Aboriginal children;

to drive Aboriginal data sovereignty in relation to early childhood development data.

The Office will, in performing functions under this Act that affect

Aboriginal children, have regard, and seek to give effect, to the following principles:

the cultural identity of Aboriginal children will be safeguarded and driven (including by driving the maintenance of connections to family, community, culture and Country);

Aboriginal self-determination will be supported (including, but not limited to, by working in partnership with Aboriginal communities in decisions that affect them);

partnership with, and the participation of, Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal organisations is necessary to support an early childhood development system that recognises the particular needs of Aboriginal children (including any developmental trauma) and reduces the proportion of Aboriginal children in the State who are developmentally vulnerable when starting school.

In performing functions under this Act that affect Aboriginal children, the Office will have regard, and seek to give effect, to the

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous

Peoples.