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

With the ever-increasing pressures on the cost of living, the urgent need for both parents to actively earn income has never been greater. While those across the floor may congratulate themselves on the reforms to reduce the cost of child care, the prevailing issue in my region is actually finding a placement. It's hard to save money on a service that you don't actually have the ability to access. There are waiting lists in some areas of upwards of 300 families. We have more young families in Cowper than ever before, which is fantastic to see, but the number of childcare placements has stagnated. A parent who is willing to work simply isn't able to do so.

Over the past six years, I've held childcare forums across my electorate and heard of the unworkable levels of red tape, of staff educational requirements that do not fit the level of pay and of poaching of current educators by primary schools and even the NDIS due to better conditions. That all leads to the demoralisation of the current workforce and the inability to attract new staff. My question to this government is: you must be hearing the same issues, so what system overhauls have you attempted to table over the past three years? I can tell my constituents in Cowper: none.

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