Thursday, 5 March 2026

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:41): My question is for the Minister for Local Government. In the past week I have been contacted by numerous constituents who are incredibly upset about the City of Greater Geelong’s decision to close creches at council gyms across the region. This service, staffed by skilled educators, allows parents and carers of young children to participate in even just a little bit of exercise. It is a small thing, but it has a huge health and wellbeing benefit for not just the individual parent but also the entire family. Councils across Victoria have been financially squeezed by this state government for years, with rate capping, cost shifting and dwindling grants, and the real-world impact is that they are having to cut key services like this. Minister, will you urgently review council funding to ensure services like Geelong council’s creches in gyms can continue to operate?