Page 1064 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 2 May 2006
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has been no picnic for the families. Back in August last year the then Minister for Emergency Services, to whom Mr Barr was the senior adviser, peremptorily, with no warning, gave these people six months to quit. After a while he thought better of it and he gave them 18 months to quit and, when he was really and truly confronted by placard-waving tots, he thought more about it and said, “Okay, we will give you two months to quit”—a site that had suddenly become a security risk or something; we are not quite sure because the arguments coming from the Emergency Services Authority about how it was suddenly inappropriate to have a childcare centre on the same site as them changed from time to time.
Even when it was announced that the Emergency Services Authority would move its location to the airport, the previous Minister for Emergency Services was asked, “Well, how does that leave the teddy bears? Will the teddy bears be able to stay?” And I was told no. So there are 82 families who are struggling in south Canberra for their life/work balance and who have really had their concerns comprehensively ignored over a long period of time by this Stanhope government. Government members stand here on a regular basis and bleat about what the Howard government does; but they do not look to their own backyard, to their own childcare centres.
The current Minister for Emergency Services, who is also the Minister for Planning, has had some meetings with the families from the teddy bears centre and he made a valid point—that the job of the government is to ensure that there are enough places—and I agree with that. It is not the job of this government or any government to guarantee the continuation of a particular business. Various ministers have made a correct point that they are not in that business. However, the mishandling of this has created huge uncertainties for those families involved and the timing of the closing of one lease and the making of other land available means that it is almost certain that there will not be adequate places for childcare in the medium term in south Canberra.
It is almost certain that when the two-year lease expires for the Teddy Bears Child Care Centre there will not be a replacement childcare centre up and running to take on those children. This creates a huge level of uncertainly in the community. It means that the people who are currently clients of that service do not have the confidence of continuity of care for their children, which is an integral, important element in creating an appropriate work/life balance for women who have children, especially children under five.
As someone who has always worked and always relied upon childcare, I know how difficult it is. I would expect that the Minister for Women would also know how difficult it is. I have been constantly surprised at her lack of interest in this issue and her capacity to hospital pass this to other people without taking an interest in what is definitely a matter relating to her responsibilities in the areas of childcare, and in her role as Minister for Women she should take an interest in the issues that affect women who are trying to participate in the work force.
I have spoken to many people who have children in the Teddy Bears Child Care Centre and I have constantly been told that they do not know where they are going to be. They do not know whether they will be able to continue to work, because, if this childcare centre closes down before the new one comes on line, they will not have a place; there are no places. I have demonstrated to this place the level of concern by tabling a petition
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