General News
14 August, 2023
Subsidy 'useless in child care desert'
THE Federal Government’s $5.4 billion Cheaper Child Care subsidy has been exposed as poor policy with skyrocketing fees and no relief for Mallee’s child care deserts, according to local MP Anne Webster. The member for Mallee said: “So many...
THE Federal Government’s $5.4 billion Cheaper Child Care subsidy has been exposed as poor policy with skyrocketing fees and no relief for Mallee’s child care deserts, according to local MP Anne Webster.
The member for Mallee said: “So many regional communities are crying out for teachers, nurses and others, most of whom are younger mothers that simply can’t get back into the workforce due to not being able to access child care.”
Dr Webster said Labor’s ‘one size fits all - policy on the run’ approach had failed Mallee parents.
“Billions of dollars in subsidies makes for good, quick headlines – but where was the mechanism to prevent that subsidy being eaten up by higher fees and the answer to towns with no child care?” she said.
Meanwhile, state MP Martha Haylett said discussions on the delivery of a government-owned early learning centre were ongoing with the Loddon Shire Council.
The Loddon site to end the shire’s care desert was promised during last November’s state election campaign and the centre to open in 2026. The site is yet to be selected.