The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, is continuing to push for more childcare across the region, holding meetings with potential local providers in the wake of further delays from the State Government.
Ms Cleeland said that private businesses and local alternatives must be explored as an alternative after the Allan Labor Government indicated that towns like Seymour would have to wait until at least 2032 for a government-ran childcare facility.
“In recent months, Labor has seemingly abandoned their plans to build more childcare facilities leaving our communities in difficult positions,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Towns like Seymour, which was previously named as the home to one of the government’s 50 new childcare centres, is now not expected to have a facility until 2032 at the earliest.
“Meeting with potential alternative providers in our community is a crucial step if this government continues to fail when it comes to providing our towns with enough childcare.”
This most recent meeting follows Ms Cleeland’s extensive advocacy for more childcare in the region, which has included organising studies into local availability, developing policy, raising the need for more facilities in Parliament, arranging community surveys, and meeting with the Minister for Children.
Analysis of childcare in the Euroa region was summarised in a report titled “Beyond Urban Borders”, commissioned by Ms Cleeland, that investigates accessibility challenges in the region using data, community responses, and interviews with local providers.
“This report makes it very clear that there is not enough childcare in our region,” Ms Cleeland said.
“When questions were put forward to the community, three quarters of respondents shared frustration over the long waitlists they were experiencing – sometimes as long as three years.
“Not having enough available childcare has a massive impact on the future of our smaller towns with many families forced to relocate most of their lives to bigger centres for improved access.
“Additionally, we already have extreme cost of living pressures, as well as a labour crisis – making more childcare options so important to ensure parents can return to work and alleviate these issues.”
Ms Cleeland said she would continue to raise the issue in Parliament, putting forward questions for the next sitting week asking for more clarity about the future of childcare across the Euroa electorate.
“The Allan Labor Government must come clean about when their proposed facilities will be built, and if they are not going to happen, alternative options must be explored as a matter of urgency,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Labor has proven they cannot manage childcare effectively, and it is our regional families that are paying the price.”
