Wednesday, 15 October 2025

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (12:44): (1871) My constituency question is to the Minister for Children. It relates to a young father in my electorate who says he is regularly being asked to keep his child home from his local early learning centre due to staffing shortfalls. In recent months this has happened two to three times a week, which has been very disruptive for the family. When he keeps his child at home, he is told that he will not have to pay the usual gap fee. He is concerned that the early learning centre is still paid by the government for the placement even though the parents are looking after their own child. Can the minister explain why staffing shortfalls remain in our early childhood settings, whether all centres are meeting their recommended ratio of staff to children and whether centres are receiving a government payment for children they are not looking after?