Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I travel through the Flynn electorate, lack of childcare workers and accessibility issues are among the most frequently raised issues. In the 2022-23 budget, Labor announced a $4.7 billion childcare package over four years, which will lift the maximum childcare subsidy rate to 90 per cent for families for the first child in care; increase childcare subsidy rates for every family earning less than $530,000 in household income with one child in care; keep higher childcare subsidy rates for the second and additional children in care; and extend increased subsidy to outside school hours care.

However, not one single dollar of this $4.7 billion package will go to creating more childcare places or addressing chronic workforce shortages in rural, regional, and remote Australia. Labor's plan is all about cheaper child care for metropolitan families. In my electorate of Flynn, many families cannot find a childcare place for their child. This is preventing parents from returning to work sooner. Our communities need availability and accessibility, not just affordability. There are 36 childcare providers in the Flynn electorate, offering a maximum of 2,419 childcare places.

Labor's plan states that Indigenous children will be able to access 36 hours of subsidised child care per fortnight from July 2023. Woorabinda and Eidsvold, with large First Nations Indigenous populations, do not have any childcare options available. How can every Indigenous child be given 36 hours per fortnight where no child care exists?

Labor is not lifting a finger or spending a cent on improving childcare accessibility for the bush. Recent data suggests there are around 20,000 early educator vacancies run the country. Goodstart Early Learning predicts an additional 9,000 educators will be needed on top of current vacancies under this policy come 1 July, and yet Labor cannot tell us where or how they plan to find these additional educators. Centres are capping enrolments, closing rooms and asking children to stay home. I've spoken to families stuck on waiting lists and unable to work because there are no places for their children. Labor is willing to spend $4.7 billion on early learning, yet not a single dollar will go towards creating new places for children who need it most.

In my electorate of Flynn, there are no childcare vacancies in Boyne Island, Gayndah, Mount Morgan, Mundubbera or Wondai. There are also childcare centres is Agnes Water, Emerald and even Gladstone that do not have any vacancies at all. Many families in regional Australia have no access to care, which begs the question: without educators and without access, how can Labor's policy deliver for families and children in rural and regional areas? What is the point of having lower out-of-pocket costs when you can't get your child into a place? Labor has no plan to address this, and it is clear they are just making it up as they go along. Seventy-five per cent of Australians in regional, rural and remote communities live in a childcare desert, with three children competing for every place available. Instead of taking action to improve access to childcare for rural Australians, Labor is spending billions subsidising childcare costs for millionaire families in big metropolitan cities.

In September of 2022 I wrote to the Treasurer about increasing community concerns around the lack of child care in the electorate of Flynn, especially in our more rural regions, and the financial barriers when entering the sector and establishing family day care. The Labor government must look into what the industry groups are proposing. In January 2022 Family Day Care Australia lodged a submission to Treasury on behalf of their members. The budget submission outlined the case for four key funding priorities that are not only pivotal in ensuring long-term viability of family day care but which also represent an appropriate and equitable allocation of funding for a sector to support sustainable growth.

As the federal member for Flynn, I wish to continue to work with stakeholders, organisations and government to form practical solutions to address these problems. What we need is availability and accessibility as well as affordability.