Page 1085 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 May 2006
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arrangements are complex and securing appropriate accommodation can be tortuous. It should not be beyond the wit or capacity of the ACT government to provide support through one of its business or community services to groups wishing to establish their own centres.
As a community, we face real challenges in addressing the problems of cost and access to childcare. The ACT government owes the women of Canberra a commitment to explore innovative solutions to these problems. We cannot be encouraging families to come here—or we do so under false presumptions—if in the end they cannot go to work, which is available, because they cannot find decent, affordable childcare, which is not available in the quantities in which we need it.
MRS BURKE (Molonglo) (10.56): I thank Dr Foskey for placing this motion on the notice paper today. As a precursor, I point out that all that I say today in relation to this motion on childcare is in an endeavour to make it very clear that I know that the majority of centres do a great deal more than simply babysit and thereby care for babies. I guess that is a given, but I think sometimes the notion of childcare gives that bit of a connotation. Childcare is an integral part of the government’s strategy to promote the wellbeing of Australian families. The vast majority of childcare funding goes towards the payment of childcare benefit, or CCB. The Australian government childcare support scheme contributes to helping families participate in the economic and social life of the community by assisting families with the cost of childcare.
Assistance with childcare helps families to balance work and parenting roles by way of promoting and supporting the provision of flexible childcare services—something desperately needed in the ACT, based on our working patterns. Of particular interest is the emergence of a focus on providing access to early childhood intervention and prevention initiatives for vulnerable families and children through funding quality childcare services.
I note that, at the local level, on 2 January 2006, Senator Gary Humphries announced that 10 ACT community-based long day care centres would receive a total of almost $200,000 to upgrade their facilities under the Australian government’s minor capital upgrade program. This is particularly helpful in assisting community-based childcare centres, which are generally not as well resourced as commercially-based operations, to provide services on a not-for-profit basis.
Such funding is vital to help community-based centres address issues surrounding health, safety and licensing issues. It is hoped that such a commitment is made in recognising the vital role these centres play by staying open as another option to parents who may not be able to access, or may not wish to access, commercial operations. I was reflecting on comments made recently by the Minister for Planning, Mr Corbell. I have a concern that the government’s actions may be putting out of reach the smaller, private operator, as in the case of the Teddy Bears Child Care Centre at Curtin, to competitively tender for land at auction.
We are surely about offering choice, are we not? To that end, my concern is that smaller operators and smaller private childcare centres are in great demand and much preferred above the larger, corporately-run centres by many of the parents I have spoken to. I think Dr Foskey is quite right in saying that, in the bigger plan, the government needs to be
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