Victorian families ignored in rural child care funding

25-March-2009

The Federal Government will provide close to $1 million in funding for Childcare services around Australia – but Victorian families have been left out, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Childcare Sophie Mirabella said today.

“The Long Day Care Capital Funding program is meant to boost services in rural and remote areas – but Victoria doesn’t get one cent. I challenge Parliamentary Secretary Maxine McKew to get out of Sydney and see just how many regional communities we have here in Victoria.”

“As a representative of rural Victoria, I find it hard to understand why no funding has been provided to improve Long Day Care Centres in our State. Victoria’s regional communities have faced many challenges in recent times – including bushfires and drought – so it’s difficult to comprehend why they have been left out.”

“Parliamentary Secretary Maxine McKew needs to explain why Victoria appears to have been deliberately snubbed in this funding round.”

Mrs Mirabella said that 5 services were being funded in South Australia, 4 in NSW, 2 in Tasmania and 2 in Queensland and just 1 service was to receive funding in Western Australia.

“It beggars belief that there were no worthy applications from Victorian communities.”

“Maxine McKew has been a “hands off” Parliamentary Secretary on childcare matters – she has failed to deliver any clear direction for the future of the childcare industry in the wake of the ABC Learning collapse.”

“Ms McKew won’t explain why her Government refuses to release vacancy data that would give a true picture of the state of childcare and where there is greatest supply and demand. Instead she is forging ahead with Labor’s plan to build an extra 260 Childcare Centres.”

“She needs to explain why she has now decided to completely ignore regional Victorians,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.