Early-childhood experts and advocates are hopeful the federal government's plan to prioritise child development will give Australian kids the best start to life.
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Around 100 childhood development experts gathered at Parliament House for the national early-years summit.
Summit outcomes will inform a national strategy, due to be released in October, to improve early-years development in Australia for newborn babies up to five-year-olds.
Catherine Liddle, chief executive of the the national voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children SNAICC, told AAP the summit showed a willingness to think differently about how best to support children.
"There is a shared vision about how we can create the best start to life and the barriers that are often overlooked," she said.
"The next step is to hear from people on the ground and get the consultation right so that government is informed in its policy making."
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth plans to hold round tables across the country to help inform the strategy.
She said this would ensure the biggest gaps in services were identified and show what was needed to help children and parents access support.
"We need to make sure that children are not relegated to the background, that they are brought out front and centre," she told reporters in Canberra.
"We're listening to families and mapping out where we can do better."
Former Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins and children's author Mem Fox were among attendees, along with Thrive by Five director Jay Weatherill and The Parenthood chief executive Georgie Dent.
Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly said the summit brought together experts, advocates and parents to discuss ideas to ensure no child was left behind.
"This is an amazing opportunity for us to set a trajectory for Australian children now and into the future," she said.
Child psychiatrists want government to address gaps in funding, availability and access to professional mental health services for children and their families.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Professor Valsa Eapen said too many children in need of support were missing out but early intervention was crucial.
"Most adult mental health problems have their origins in childhood and adolescence, with children affected by parental mental illness being at particularly high risk," she said.
Ms Dent called on the government to be ambitious to ensure the best models of early-childhood development, education and care were adopted.
She said one in five Australian children arrived at school developmentally vulnerable.
In rural areas, that number rises to two in five and is higher still for Indigenous children.
Mr Weatherill said the summit could not "tinker around the edges" but must lay the foundation for a new approach to the early years.
He called for federal and state legislation to ensure every Australian child had guaranteed access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education and care.
Australian Associated Press
