Wednesday, 15 October 2025

 Tim McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (10:20): I rise to contribute on the report on the 2023–24 budget estimates from the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee. I want to highlight particularly chapter ‍4.5.1, which talks about the Best Start, Best Life reform, which aims to overhaul the child education and childcare process. Part of the best start process in child care was a $546 million investment in things like free kinder for three- and four-year-olds, a pre-prep program, child care and others.

Child care is a massive issue in regional Victoria. It is probably a major issue throughout metropolitan Melbourne but it certainly is in my seat and other regional seats that I know of. Even in the larger centres like Cobram, Yarrawonga and Wangaratta, child care is difficult, even in Bright and Myrtleford. But in my electorate we have got Mount Hotham and Falls Creek, which are the playgrounds of Melbourne people and people throughout Victoria, even interstate and international visitors. Our snow industry contributes $2.14 billion to the Victorian economy, and that has been referenced in the alpine resorts economic significance study. We know that 2025 has been a terrific season. It is just winding up now. Even though we have had tough times in Porepunkah and Bright, it has been a great snow season, which is terrific to see. They were due for one of those.

However, the Falls Creek community says that, for all that investment in child care and young Victorians, they have been advised by the acting general manager of Falls Creek Alpine Resort that childcare losses are about $70,000 at Falls Creek. Bear in mind that Falls Creek is a year-round resort, and they are saying that $70,000 shortfall is putting child care in jeopardy at Falls Creek. I have just mentioned that we are talking about $2.14 billion contributed to the Victorian economy, and without staff and families the snowfields simply do not operate. On 2 October the operator of Falls Creek child care and kinder was told that a review had been launched, with a possible outcome of closure of the child care, which would be a disaster for Falls Creek resort. The problem is a review was done at the start of the winter season. That is the frustrating part; this was done earlier this year. The locals thought that review was the end of it. Now we have got a review of the review less than six months later, and if we are talking about a $70,000 loss in the childcare sector, we have got to really consider how we are going to address this, because, as I say, without child care at a year-round resort like Falls Creek it is going to be very difficult.

The first review earlier this year was in line with the Alpine Resorts Corporate Plan 2024–2027. This service caters for families in the summer as well – as I say, it is year-round – and many families will be impacted if this child care is removed from Falls Creek. I certainly urge the government to make sure that this does not happen, because it will really put the whole mountain in jeopardy because of our workforces up there. We also know that the child care is the main feeder to Falls Creek Primary School. It allows families, older and younger, to be educated on Falls Creek. Also to the question of childcare arrangements for $70,000, which is outrageous if that is what the figure is, the alternatives are that people will need to take their families 45 minutes down the hill to Mount Beauty. But Mount Beauty is already full for 2026, so that is not even an option for them.

As I say, I urge the government to continue to look into this child care in what is such an important industry for our regional tourism but to the whole Victorian economy. It is a false economy if we do not see the child care continue at Falls Creek. As a year-round resort it certainly is important to keep that. Removing this service would be a massive mistake and heavily restrict attracting and retaining staff, and businesses all over Ovens Valley tell me that it is difficult to get staff. It does not matter whether you are in the major centres, like I said – Wangaratta, Yarrawonga and Cobram – it is still hard to get staff, so we want to do all we can to keep families on the mountain.

Putting a finer point on this, the alpine resorts review last year of marketing across the resort led to a decision to centralise marketing, reduce staff and make cost-savings. What has actually happened is redeployment of key people with that cost-cutting. It is important to make sure that child care does not come at a cost, because this will be a massive cost obviously to Falls Creek but to the whole economy of the snow, because it is so important for alpine regions to continue.