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

Again, I will need to come back to you on the specific question you've asked that you've said the Tasmanian minister has complained about. I would obviously want to make sure that the Tasmanian minister's views are accurate and that it's not an example of a state government trying to pass the buck to a federal government. I think we know that from time to time that does occur.

As I said, in general, the Albanese government is doing everything possible to ensure that families in regional parts of our country, including in your state, have access to the early childhood system that they need. I've already indicated some of the funding that is going to be flowing soon. In fact, all up we've provided about $614 million in funding through the Community Child Care Fund, which is designed to address barriers to participation in early childhood education and care in disadvantaged regional and rural communities. I've got no doubt there's a need for more in rural Tasmania, and we'll be doing everything we can to make that happen.