Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australian families deserve access to quality child care regardless of where they live. Access to child care is good for families, it's good for communities and, ultimately, it's good for local economies.

For many regional communities, the lack of child care is a frustrating reality. Our government has funded some fantastic services in recent times across my electorate that have allowed the expansion of these services to deal with real shortages.

Kingston South East is a town of fewer than 2,000 people. While it may have a small population, there's a big need for increased childcare services not only for families of the town itself but for the farming families from surrounding districts. In a survey conducted by the council in June, 86 per cent of respondents said the lack of child care impacts their ability to work. It's very clear the current service is not meeting the needs of the local community, with 49 families currently on the waiting list.

I'm working with the Kingston District Council to investigate funding opportunities to ensure the community has a facility that can offer residents peace of mind and allow more people to work or study. I'm fighting for federal funding to deliver a purpose-built Kingston childcare centre to service the needs of the Kingston South East community, making that community is an even better place to live, work and raise a family.

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