Wednesday, 4 March 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (13:01): My question is to the Minister for Children. As Dr Anne Webster MP has exposed, families across Loddon shire were led to believe at the 2025 federal election that $5 million would deliver new childcare services for their communities. We now know the federation funding agreement between the Albanese and Allan Labor governments proves this money was simply recycled funding for the Wedderburn centre already announced in 2023. The mayor has confirmed there was no consultation and that most of Loddon remains a childcare desert. This was not a new commitment; it was a deliberate, dishonest repackaging of an existing promise, designed to deceive regional families during an election campaign. So, Minister, do you defend this cynical exercise in double counting, and will you commit to genuine additional funding so regional families are not treated as props in a dishonest pre-election marketing campaign?