Friday 13 December
On Wednesday, The Federal Government announced a substantial investment in creating universal early childhood education and care, with a $1billion fund to build or expand more than 160 early childhood education and care services.
This investment - which is the largest for new centres in Australian history - has wholeheartedly been welcomed by the Access for Every Child Coalition, which includes more than 60 leading voices spanning health, education and agriculture, including the National Farmers Federation, Regional Australia Institute and the National Rural Women’s Coalition.
The group has been calling on the Federal Government to ensure that every single child has access to early childhood education and care, no matter where they live.
Coalition Convenor Maddy Butler said the new fund holds serious potential to eradicate Australia’s childcare desert crisis, which currently impacts almost a quarter of Australians and is detrimental to the wellbeing of regional, rural and remote children, families and communities.
A childcare desert is an area where three or more children compete for one childcare place, and they predominantly exist in outer-suburban, regional, rural and remote communities. It is these areas the new fund will target.
“This announcement has potential to massively improve access for parents and children living in regional, rural and remote areas where early learning services are notoriously scarce,” said Ms Butler.
“The current early education market has failed country towns; providers don't have the financial incentive to set up or stay open there and the early educator workforce means existing services often can’t run at full capacity.
“The impact is devastating. Children miss out on early education opportunities and parents are often unable to work and earn as a result, which is vital for most families with the rising cost of living. Entire communities are then impacted, as essential workforces across health, education, agriculture and mining are stretched.
“This fund, which will prioritise not-for-profit and government centres, will give providers more security and sustainability through direct funding.
“The wage rise for early childhood educators a few months back was in many ways the first step to addressing the national early learning crisis and working towards a universal system, as higher wages will attract the workforce needed to meet demand.
“These 160 new or expanded centres, in combination with the Government’s plan to improve access to the Child Care Subsidy for all families, are very welcome next steps.
“We eagerly await to hear where the Government plans to open the centres, and look forward to working with them on creating an Australia where every child, regardless of their postcode or parents’ income, is able to access early childhood education and care.”
Danyel Cucinotta, Vice-President of the Victorian Farmers Federation, an Access For Every Child coalition partner, says, “Our families in rural Victoria deserve high-quality early education services. I’ve seen the difference it can make in supporting children and helping local communities thrive. This fund is a big step in the right direction.”
The announcement follows news the Child Care Subsidy eligibility system, known as the “Activity Test” – which has long been criticised for excluding disadvantaged families – would be replaced with three days of guaranteed subsidised childcare for all families.
“We’re calling for all parties and candidates to secure early learning access for families post-election. The lack of rural early childhood education and care is too important to be partisan,” said Ms Butler.
Maddy Butler and Danyel Cucinotta are available for comment.
