Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's great that the government recognises the vital importance of early childhood education. Early learning matters; it sets up kids with skills for life. Early childcare education isn't a childminding service. It's an incredible way to get children learning and active and becoming extraordinary human beings. Like Whitney Houston sang, I too believe the children are our future. But, Houston, we have a problem.

Let me tell you about Natalie and Tanya. They are two mums on the north-west coast of Tassie who need family day care services and could not find any. They understood the unmet need and started businesses to provide for their children and the community. They are amazing and really good at what they do. The local community benefits, the economy grows and the kids are better off. Both sites are run by amazing women who are fully qualified, early childhood educators. Both sites are in an environment that is completely safe for kids and overwhelmingly supported by the community. These two sites cater for 50 children aged between four months and 12 years from nearly 90 families.

Natalie has a waiting list of 287 children and Tanya has so many that she gave up. She closed the waiting list. She didn't want to disappoint anyone. They are so good, you'd think they would be marked for expansion. But you'd be wrong. The government wants to shut them down, because the Tasmanian Education and Care Unit's rules insist on one centre per property only. If two centres share a property, whether it's to keep their rent costs down or to be more efficient in how they provide services, they are breaking the rules and have to close. In theory, the rule exists to protect children. Both Natalie and Tanya have set up their sites to run two fully independent centres. The rules state that the sites must be split into two separate legal properties or close one of the centres. But it just can't be done like that. What about cutting their intake in half and complying with the regulations that way? Natalie is adamant that cutting the service in two means that the whole facility is not viable.

I spoke to the parents sending their kids in these centres, who brought home what this government enforced closure would mean for the region. One of them told me that if Tanya's centre closed, she would have no choice but to quit her job—a job that puts food on the table and eases the daily struggles. Another told me about the huge surrender to allow somebody to look after their child, and they chose Natalie because of the amazing standard of care she offers. Even if Natalie and Tanya could go back to running just one centre on the sites that they have, which families do they cut? How do they let go half the children in their care knowing they don't have any other options? There are no other options.

The waitlists for these centres are incredible. Staff shortages are commonplace. It's the same everywhere—not just in Tassie but across the country. The official waitlist for child care in this country is unpublished. Doing my sums and talking to local Tasmanian providers, there are at least three children to every vacancy that needs to be filled. Kids are missing out on vital early childhood education. Child care is education. It's not a babysitting service, and, while the children are being educated, the parents can go out and earn. It is a win for the kids, the parents, the economy and the future generations of Australians. Yet, in my state, they want to close down these places.

There used to be six providers of family day care like Natalie and Tanya's centres. Now there are just the two of them. Others were forced to close rather than run the risk of falling foul of regulation. These rules are made by faceless bureaucrats and sanctioned by ministers, and they can be fixed by ministers. Regulators can only impose the regulations they agree with. If the minister's regulations are dumb, that's just the way it goes. If we don't do something, there will be none left.

The federal government has called for innovative models of child care. These are just two examples waiting to be rolled out to rural and remote areas. It's a model where Tasmania has and can continue to show how innovative and entrepreneurial services can work. This means more kids in excellent, beautiful, nurturing environments. I'm asking for the state government to look at the model shown by Natalie and Tanya and encourage more dual educator sites. I'm asking the federal government to recognise this innovative Tasmanian model and not penalise Tasmanians for innovative local solutions. But, most of all, I'm asking to keep Natalie and Tanya's centres going so they can provide a great start for the children and keep the adults in work.