The announced investment of $100m by a Coalition Government to deliver improved access and increased supply of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in regional Australia has been welcomed by GrainGrowers.
GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel said reports on the impact of so-called childcare deserts have highlighted the lack of ECEC resources as a long-standing issue across regional Australia.
“We have been working for some time with other like-minded organisations to place a focus on the issue, and we are pleased that the current government and the coalition both have proposed substantive ECEC policy initiatives.”
Under the Coalition, a new Raising the Regions program would be established to fund ECEC in childcare deserts and regional and rural areas. The new program would be part of the larger Regional Australia Future Fund initiative.
Ms Gawel said GrainGrowers also acknowledged the pledges made by Labor prior to the election campaign to establish the $1 billion Building Early Education Fund (BEEF).
This fund would build early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres in the regions, with the investment extending to outer metropolitan suburbs in cities.
Ms Gawel said GrainGrowers has long argued for ECEC to be treated as a universal right for working parents living within grain-growing regions.
“Rural and regional children need and deserve to have access to quality education and the same opportunities as those extended to their city counterparts.”
“Improved access will allow parents to pursue employment and education opportunities, thereby helping to alleviate workforce shortages in the grains industry and broader supply chain, allowing for greater economic productivity for our communities.”
“The clear message for all sides of politics is that improved ECEC is a vital investment in our future, and we welcome ongoing efforts to address the current shortfalls in rural and regional Australia,” Ms Gawel said.
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