Millions being spent to help WAâs most vulnerable children â but how? Weâre sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss Save Normal text size Advertisement Three years in, an initiative to ease hardship for some of Australiaâs poorest children has nothing to report to taxpayers contributing $25 million funding for a 10-year run. In March 2018 in an unprecedented partnership, Andrew and Nicola Forrestâs philanthropic foundation, the government and Telethon Kids Institute launched the $50 million Early Years Initiative to combat widening gaps in learning and development between rich and poor communities. In recent years, despite significant effort, there has been little or no improvement in key developmental indicators for young children in many high-needs communities.