Community
29 August, 2024
Concern raised town a “childcare desert”
SOUTH-WEST Coast MP Roma Britnell has raised concerns Terang has been officially designated a ‘childcare desert’, according to a major international study on accessibility to childcare places.
The landmark study released by Victoria University has Australia as among the fourth worst in the world when it comes to childcare, with local data reporting just one in four children in Terang have been able to get into an available place.
The shock findings have labelled Terang as being among the ‘childcare deserts’, as described in the report.
Ms Britnell has on several occasions raised in Parliament the issue of a lack of childcare in the region, having put up a motion last October to begin working up solutions – which was ultimately blocked by the Victorian Government.
She said regulations in Victoria were limiting access to childcare and must be reviewed to increase access to family day care, in-venue care, long day care, occasional care and outside school hours care to improve flexibility for families, without compromising child safety.
“Experts tell me that many of the regulations can be altered without compromising child safety and the state and federal Labor governments have the opportunity to work together on this,” Ms Britnell said.
“There would be solutions to immediately ease the pressure on the system.
“The fact that the government will not even acknowledge the problem and are not even willing to have that debate demonstrates just how out of touch Labor is with the community.
“Families are under enormous pressure trying to meet the cost-of-living crisis pressures, increasing interest rates and mortgage payments that are putting pressure on family budgets.”
Ms Britnell said shortages in available childcare had a widespread impact across the economy, as it created issues with parents returning to work.
“Every industry and every sector is affected by this,” she said.
“Work could have been started almost a year ago and solutions could have already been in the works.”
“Reports like this one today only confirm that families and carers who are looking for childcare places are being told they've got two years to even wait before they even get anywhere near a place for their child and are desperate.”