Tuesday, 21 March 2023

South-West Coast electorate child care

Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (19:10): (105) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep. The action I seek is for the minister to detail what steps are being taken to rectify the childcare drought in South-West Coast.

South-West Coast is the best place in Victoria to live, work and raise a family. I know this because I do and I have. From Terang to Narrawong and Childers Cove to Budj Bim, there is something for everyone. South-West Coast is not just a place to holiday. There are employment opportunities with internationally recognised employers, higher education opportunities, amazing medical specialists and the ability to open your own business. South-West Coast is your oyster, except if you have small children and need child care.

There is a childcare drought in South-West Coast. You do not have to be an agricultural specialist to realise the seriousness of any kind of drought and the long-term, often irreversible consequences for communities. Populations shrink, businesses close, regions die. Not even this government could spin a drought into a positive for Victoria. I encourage the minister to check out Deserts and Oases: How Accessible Is Childcare in Australia?, a 2022 study from Victoria University. The minister will find the study enlightening and will be able to confirm that South-West Coast is one of the worst places in Australia for access to child care. Labor have been in government for 18 of the past 23 years, and look at their legacy. Last November the Premier announced that Portland would receive one additional early learning centre owned and operated by the state of Victoria, but the Premier did not say when the facility would be open and operational, and we all know about this government and their rubbery time lines for roads, hospitals, new VLocity trains, the Port Fairy SES and the Maroondah to Portland Murray Basin rail project upgrade, just to name a few examples in South-West Coast alone. I guess we will soon be adding early learning centres to that growing list of incomplete and overbudget fiascos.

Minister, one early learning centre for Portland, which will be opened on a yet-to-be-determined date, is like a teardrop in the ocean. It will make no difference. What about Heywood, Port Fairy, Koroit, Warrnambool or Terang. Minister, families across South-West Coast need access to child care now. Waiting lists at early learning centres throughout South-West Coast frequently exceed two years. Is that acceptable? Some constituents have told me that they have been able to secure a spot for their child up to 100 kilometres away. That is a 200-kilometre round trip to access child care on dangerous and neglected regional roads. Minister, is that acceptable?

The consequences of this childcare drought are significant for South-West Coast. Businesses of all sizes and all sectors are being squeezed by the lack of available child care. Minister, you can fix this childcare mess, but will you?