Thursday, 15 May 2025

Northern Victoria Region childcare services

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (02:20): (1641) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Children concerning a critical issue affecting families across Northern Victoria: the severe shortage of childcare services, known as childcare deserts. In August 2023 a government press release proudly stated 50 early childhood centres would be delivered by 2028, but by May last year the timeline quietly slipped to beyond 2032. It has been two years since the 50 childcare centres were promised, but only four have been built. Since the timelines have blown out, many communities are wondering if these childcare centres will be built at all. I commend my Nationals colleague Annabelle Cleeland, member for Euroa, who has continued to raise this issue, highlighting the desperate need for child care in many regional areas. Twenty-six of the promised childcare centres remain without a timeline or site for construction, including Alexandra, Bendigo South, Lockington, Seymour and Woori Yallock in my electorate.

The lack of childcare options in Northern Victoria is placing a significant barrier to those who want to raise their family in regional Victoria, and it needs to be addressed. Many communities are classified as childcare deserts, with little to no access to early childhood education and care services. This shortage is especially acute in rural and regional areas, where greater distances between towns and lower population densities make it challenging to establish and sustain traditional childcare facilities. Local councils have raised concerns about the required ratio of staff to children, which is the same as metropolitan areas, which makes it difficult to sustain childcare services in regional areas, and this needs to be addressed. I have spoken with families who find it hard to return to work because of the absence of childcare services, some who remain on waiting lists for years and others who drive very long distances at the beginning and end of each day to first drop their child off before heading to work. The delays and uncertainty around the state government’s plans to establish childcare centres is also making it hard for private providers deciding whether to open a centre.

My federal colleague Dr Anne Webster, the member for Mallee, has also raised strong concerns about this issue, and she has outlined the detrimental impact of childcare deserts on families – that families are being forced to uproot their lives, relocate to larger regional centres or even to Melbourne simply to access child care. Dr Webster has put forward several innovative solutions to help address this issue, including allowing family day care educators to operate out of community spaces such as town halls or libraries, establishing mobile day care centres and encouraging employer-supported childcare models in workplaces.

The action I seek is for the state government to deliver on their promise to open 50 new childcare centres by 2028 and address the desperate need for early childcare centres across Northern Victoria. We need effective solutions that ensure every child has access to quality early learning opportunities. By investing in child care, we can support families, bolster local economies, address workforce shortages and strengthen our regional communities.