Thursday, 6 February 2025

 Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (10:14): The incompetent Allan government has sacrificed another vital education and training program because it cannot manage money. In this case it cannot manage the vital early childhood education and training sector. The Allan government’s decision to cut Skills First funding for providers operating in priority skill sectors such as early childhood education and care is further proof of the financial black hole that the Allan government has driven the Victorian budget into. This fundamental and critical sector is already under siege from soaring demand and critical worker shortages, no more so than in regional Victoria where the phrase ‘childcare desert’ has become part of many discussions. Workplace delivery models enable students to fast-track by combining academic achievement with valuable hands-on experience in professional settings, an approach that is essential if this sector is to have the staff it needs in the future.

Early childhood is the very essence of the care economy. Without it, communities will not have the workforce they need and young parents will be denied the opportunity to remain in the workforce. With less people in the workforce and jobs not filled, who is going to pay for the Premier’s insatiable hunger for more and more taxes to pay for the government’s incompetence? For once can the Allan government admit it has got it wrong, reinstate funding for Skills First and help young families who are suffering a cost-of-living crisis to get the child care they need.