The new Northern Territory government has been urged to take action to help Territory families struggling to access childcare and allied health services.
After their election victory on Saturday, the CLP are facing a cost-of-living crisis in the NT, along with high levels of debt, Indigenous incarceration, and poverty.
The Thrive by Five NT Early Childhood Alliance urged the government to take actions outlined in their childhood alliance action plan - endorsed by 18 organisations, including the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Women's Council and SNAICC - National Voice for our Children.
It has called for the establishment of an independent Office of Early Childhood Development and more funding for First Nations controlled services is crucial in helping families across the Territory.
Convenor Sarah Rheinberger congratulated Chief Minister-elect Lia Finocchiaro and said the alliance was ready to work with the new government to help Territory families.
"As an alliance of service providers and experts, we have started the work to reform the NT's early years system. We hope the new government will work with us to help make the Territory a great place for young families," she said.
Two in five children in the NT are developmentally vulnerable when they start school, and Ms Rheinberger said the creation of more accessible and appropriate early education care would benefit the entire NT.
"Childcare and early learning is too expensive or inaccessible for many Territory families, depriving children of valuable learning and socialisation experiences in the first five years of life," she said.
"As well as disadvantaging children, this means parents and carers cannot go back to work when they want because there is no childcare, which ultimately deprives their communities of workers.
"At the same time, too many children with learning disabilities, neurodivergence or trauma are going without the support required to learn and thrive, because their families cannot access services."
Organisations such as SNAICC have long called for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to be better funded, and the federal government has released a roadmap, arguing that better integration and coordination is needed to "give all children in Australia the best start in life".
The government said the ten-year roadmap sets out an "overarching vision" for children in Australia, along with clear goals to ensure little children aged 0-5, and their families, "can learn, grow and thrive".
Part of the Alliance's action plan is to "enable community-led, place-based solutions that deliver a flexible choice of services, delivered with care, empathy and trust".
It also called for the NT government to work with the Commonwealth to develop and implement a funding model that is sustainable and integrated, ensuring "high quality early childhood services are available in all communities".
"Government funding underpins early childhood services that are essential to families and children. However, funding for early childhood services, particularly integrated services such as those in First Nation communities, is fragmented, and often short-term," the Alliance said.
"This needs to be fixed."
Ms Rheinberger said setting children up for success begins at birth.
"The first five years of life are crucial for their social, cognitive, and emotional development. But too many children in the NT are starting school behind," she said.
