Page 1372 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 9 April 2013
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previous Labor governments—has failed dismally and cruelly to support and encourage many initiatives in these areas. Perhaps Dr Bourke does not remember that this issue was dealt with in a debate in this chamber only last November. In an almost identical brief, Ms Berry called on this Assembly to note the significant investment by the previous government in early childhood education and child care. Mr Barr spoke about the cynicism, as he perceives it, from this side. I should just say that the cynicism still stands on our part.
Just referring back to the identical brief when Ms Berry called on this Assembly during that last MPI, she went on to include the promises Labor have made in respect of new centres in McKellar, Giralang, Holt, Conder, Gungahlin and Macarthur. Pardon my cynicism but, after four years of dealing with the government’s rhetoric, I have learnt one thing—that is, they make these claims over and over and over again, all too often and all too cruelly. Their promises add up to nothing more than a pinch of salt. The sad reality for parents with preschool age children living in these areas is that these children will be in high school before these centres are built—if, indeed, they ever get built.
As my colleague the Leader of the Opposition highlighted in disputing Ms Berry’s optimistic and perhaps somewhat naive beliefs in November, the sad reality is that the government have a poor track record in delivering. They promise much in and out of election campaigns and deliver little. Just ask the people of Gungahlin. In the case of swimming pools and grandstands, people have started and finished their sporting careers before these facilities are finished. When they do commit funding, all too often they manage it poorly. There can be no better example of that than the provision of the additional childcare places at Flynn. Do you remember that, Ms Burch? Long promised and, when it was finally delivered, an additional 10 childcare places cost a staggering $4 million. By any measure—
Ms Burch interjecting—
MR DOSZPOT: this was a poor use of taxpayer funds. Of course, it was not an isolated example. I do not think you want to hear the rest, Ms Burch. As Minister Burch and others outlined last year, there are a heap of proposed and promised “into the future” offerings, so typical of this government. We hear about the $42 million for an early childhood school in Franklin. That will include a 120-place education and childcare service. We have a proposal to spend $7.5 million on a childcare centre in Holder that will provide places for 125 children. That works out at a cost of $60,000 per place. Indeed, the minister told us a DA had been lodged. I note, by comparison, that a childcare centre was built by a community organisation in Harrison at a cost of $28,000 per place, considerably below the Labor government’s proposed investment. So perhaps we should hope this government continues to fail to deliver on its promises.
It is all very well for this government to pontificate about the importance of investment in child care, because it has failed abjectly to do so. Indeed, until the Canberra Liberals forced the issue, this government was more concerned about loading the childcare sector with more regulations and requirements. In loading up this sector with regulations and requirements, this government refused to
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