Page 153 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 28 November 2012
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Ms Berry’s motion today fails to acknowledge the failure of the Labor government to support this important industry, this important sector, the inefficient use of taxpayers’ money that they have spent pretending to support this sector and the failure to understand the impact of rising childcare costs on Canberra families.
Ms Berry’s motion asks us to note the significant investment by the previous Labor government in early childhood education and child care. However, in 2008 the Labor Party promised two new childcare centres at a cost of $4 million. Neither of these centres have been built and now the government wants to spend almost double that on just one centre in Holder. The motion asks us to acknowledge the investment in a range of new centres. However, the centre in Holder does not even yet have a development application submitted. This is despite the funding being committed for the centre in the 2011 budget and then rolled over in the 2012 budget. There has been no action on the construction of this centre and nearby residents are no closer to having access to additional places for their children.
It was only in February this year that I rose to speak in support of my colleague Mrs Dunne’s motion calling on the government to reconsider whether this was the best use of taxpayers’ money. As a father of two boys, living in Holder, I understand the need for childcare services in that area and I can sympathise with those families struggling to get their children into a centre and struggling to meet the high cost of placing them there. There is no doubt that more childcare options are needed in the Weston Creek area.
The Canberra Liberals understand that small businesses form the backbone of the Canberra economy. We are committed to supporting their potential to succeed and there is clearly a market for childcare services in Weston Creek. We should be supporting a community group or business to get into this market, not pushing them out by building an expensive government centre. I am sure there are a number of businesses that would appreciate the development opportunity to establish a centre in Holder. Indeed, I have spoken to a number of such operators who are confused by the government’s position.
This motion does get something right. This centre, when it is built—if it is built—will be at significant cost to the taxpayer. The only thing that the Minister for Disability, Children and Young People can confirm is that this centre will cost taxpayers around $60,000 per place. However, just recently a community organisation built a childcare centre in Harrison at just under $28,000 per place. It must be asked why it is costing the ACT government so much more to build a similar facility. We can only assume that the Holder childcare centre will be added to the long list of Labor’s failures to deliver on infrastructure—the GDE, the Cotter Dam, the women and children’s hospital, the prison and now the Holder childcare centre, no doubt late, over budget and costing the taxpayers more than they should be paying.
The construction of the Flynn childcare centre was also at a huge cost to the taxpayer. This centre cost ACT taxpayers $4 million and taxpayers only ended up with an additional 10 places. The centre was an amalgamation of two existing centres, one of which was being forced from its premises. In redeveloping part of the Flynn Primary School in this childcare centre the lack of consultation and lack of respect for the local community has been widely criticised.
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