The Parenthood says a legislated right to early childhood education is the “only solution.”
A new report from The Mitchell Institute at Victoria University has found that roughly 700,000 Australians live in areas with virtually no access to early learning and childcare at all.
According to the research, roughly 24 per cent of Australian children live in a “childcare desert”, where there are fewer than 0.333 childcare places available per child, despite some improvement to access in recent years. The best access is enjoyed in inner city, wealthy suburbs, while deserts exist largely in outer suburban, regional, rural and remote areas.
CEO of The Parenthood, Georgie Dent, said that Government-regulated provision is the “only way” to resolve the access issues in Australia.
“This research confirms that in Australia, access to early childhood education and care is still a massive issue for millions of Australians, and that it depends heavily on where families live,” said Ms Dent.
Inconsistency in access to services in Australia can be partially attributed to the means-based subsidy system – in which parents’ Child Care Subsidy is calculated based on their income and workforce activity level.
“If we think solely about availability, Australia’s approach to early childhood education and care leaves some parents and children with options and opportunities while others are totally stranded,” said Ms Dent.
Campaign Director and Convenor of The Parenthood’s ‘Access for Every Child’ Rural Coalition, Maddy Butler, said the impact of this is felt more deeply in the regions, where childcare deserts are more common.
“We know that there is a direct link between access to early childhood education and care and parents’ workforce participation, and in the regions, entire workforces and communities are suffering because of this,” said Ms Butler.
“The recently announced 15 per cent wage rise for early childhood educators was a huge win and will certainly help to improve access in communities where staff shortages are the driver. In many ways, it was the first step towards the universal model of early learning that we so desperately need.
“But in areas where there are literally no services available, sending your children to early childhood education simply isn’t possible for many families.
“This report is yet more proof that as long as providers make the decisions about where to open centres, services will continue to congregate in wealthier, more advantaged and metropolitan areas,” said Ms Butler.
“The Commonwealth Government needs to step in and regulate access for every child so that income level and postcodes no longer dictate a child’s opportunities to participate in early childhood education and care,” said Ms Dent.
