Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to rise to speak on this motion. I thank the member for Moncrieff. It's interesting—I was just looking at the names on the list of the members speaking, and, with the exception of myself, they're all from metropolitan seats.

A government member: Excuse me!

I'll continue. From this side, we'll no doubt say there is a shortage in metropolitan seats, but I would urge the minister to come to regional seats and have a look at the waiting lists in those regional seats. If you go to Kempsey, the waiting list at one Kempsey childcare place is over 250.

A government member: It's 365.

I'll take the interjection from the member opposite. If you have 365 people on a waiting list, that member is not doing her job. That member should be standing up and going to the minister and saying: 'Okay, we've raised childcare fees for the childcare providers. Where are the additional spots for those 357 or 380 young children who are not getting the education they require?' yet that member sits there and makes comments across the floor. What that member should be doing is marching straight up to the minister's office and saying: 'Labor is not doing its job. Yes, we've pumped money into the childcare providers, but guess what? There's a thing called cost-of-living pressures.'

I don't know if Labor has seen it over the past 18 months to two years, but electricity is up, rent is up, interest is up, mortgages are up. Guess what? The cost of running childcare services is up. So it's making absolutely no difference to mums and dads.

I can tell you—this is true—police officers are having to look after each other's children in Kempsey so they can go to work. Nurses are having to look after each other's children because they can't find a place because members opposite won't go to the minister's office and say, 'We have no policy to provide further places for child care for children who need it.'

The last speaker across the floor was saying how important it is for a two-year-old or a three-year-old to get early education, and she's right. So you're neglecting a two-year-old and a three-year-old in regional and rural Australia, and I take issue with that. I take issue that Labor ignores regional and rural Australia. Even members on this side—like the member for North Sydney—are saying how difficult it is to get a place in a childcare centre. That's in the city.

It's not as easy as saying, 'Let's expand this,' because guess what? There's something else called a housing crisis in regional and rural areas. You can't just bring somebody in to Coffs Harbour or Port Macquarie or in to Victoria or Western Australia because they can't find anywhere to stay. So this ideology of 'We'll just migrate people from cities into regional and rural Australia' is fanciful. And it's typical of Labor, because they'll say, 'Look at the great job we're doing.'

Minister, step outside Sydney. Step outside Melbourne. Go past Wollongong. Go past Newcastle. Have a look in regional and rural areas. There is a shortage of childcare workers. You need to develop policy to increase the numbers, to take the red tape away and make it easier for these proprietors, these business people, who are caring for our children so mums and dads can go to work and provide taxes that run our economy so you can pat yourself on the back. You need to develop policy for all Australia, not just for cities but for people in the country—for nurses, police and those people who are looking after each other's children so that they can continue to work and feed their families. To the members opposite: go down the hall, knock on the door, speak to your minister and do your job.

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