Amanda Walsh

Throughout my life, I've been curious about ‘big issues’ in Australian public policy, and lucky enough to find ways to explore them. I might have headed in any direction – but I discovered the importance of early childhood development, and I haven’t looked back. Ensuring that every child has a great start in life might be the most important thing that any of us can do. 

I started my career as a diplomat and policy adviser, before moving on to a PhD in political economy and political science ('Globalisation, the state and regional Australia: a case study of the Shoalhaven region'). I dived into some big questions about how global economic forces affect small communities, and what governments do (or don’t do) to protect people and places. The PhD was also, in many ways, a ‘love letter’ to the region where I grew up. 

While completing the PhD, I was offered a communications role in the early years sector, writing about the new National Quality Standard for early childhood education and care. For a policy analyst (and a mum of three young children), it was a light bulb moment. More than a decade later, I'm still firmly planted in the early years sector, where we grow Australia's future. 

I’ve worked for peak bodies in the early years sector, including a stint as the CEO of Playgroup Australia, and I served as a member of the Australian Government’s Advisory Panel for the Early Years Strategy 2024-34. I am now the CEO of the Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA), which works with its members to promote the value of quality early learning and care. I am committed to bringing good ideas into the public policy arena, to build strong systems that support children and their families.