Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Tyrrell, for the question. I will need to get further information for you about the specific issue you have raised, regarding the number of services per title, and I am happy to come back with that information as soon as I can. What I can certainly tell you is that not only is the Albanese government committed to providing much more accessible and affordable early childhood education services than we have seen in this country before but it is ensuring those services are accessible and affordable, and regional and rural Australia is a particular priority of our government.

What we're trying to do is make sure that regional services can open and stay open, through a range of targeted funding measures. For example, through round 4 of the Community Child Care Fund, we will shortly be providing around $80 million to over 430 early childhood education and care services that support disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, including in regional and rural areas. I am happy to come back to you, as well, about exactly what that will provide for regional Tasmania. Of course, our broader cheaper childcare reforms are also making early learning cheaper for over one million families, including 265,000 families in regional Australia, and I would be confident that within that number there is a pretty significant number in regional Tasmania as well.

We have recognised that the former coalition government simply did not invest enough in early childhood education and care, which meant that too many families were unable to access the care that they needed and that the kids needed. We all know the wider economic benefits of ensuring that families have access to early childhood education and care, quite apart from the benefits that kids get from that as well. If I have any further information I can add about the specific issue you raised, I will come back to you as soon as I can.