THE Federal Government has been told it should spend a promised $5 million for Loddon child care in the shire’s north.
Mayor Dan Straub gave the message to the office of Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh during a visit to Canberra last week for a round of meetings for the Murray River Group of Councils with government officials.
The Government made an election eve commitment in May to funding more child care in the shire and the minister later told the Loddon Herald that would be honoured but provided no details.
“During the meeting with the Minister’s advisors, we’ve confirmed that we have that $5 million to spend on child care in Loddon and we’ll keep working with the department and the ministers to make sure something’s delivered for our community,” Cr Straub said.
“We’ve promoted our position that we’re looking for child care in the north of the shire, that’s been a position of Loddon in recent years, the studies show we need child care in the north which is a child care desert.
“We’ve had a great positive commitment at Wedderburn with the State Government building a new facility, which it will run from 2026, but it’s not over yet.”
The Wedderburn Early Learning Centre commitment before the last Victorian election followed a strong community campaign by parents and the local school community.
Proposals for a private child care centre in Boort three years ago were abandoned and local parents are forced to seek spots for children in Kerang or Buloke Shire towns.
Meanwhile, Inglewood and Districts Community Bank is developing a feasibility study to establish child care for southern Loddon communities of Inglewood, Bridgewater, Serpentine and Tarnagulla.
The local bank has also committed $250,000 towards building a child care centre.
Consultant Wendy Holland is currently conducting a survey and the study has involved discussions with stakeholders including Inglewood and Districts Health Services and primary schools in Inglewood, Bridgewater and Tarnagulla.
Loddon Shire will remain a child care desert until next year.