Mothers also spoke of the devastating effect on a family’s physical and mental health, while Rainbow P-12 College principal Colleen Petschel recounted how it had led to staff shortages at schools and other businesses when staff could not return to work in a full capacity, or in some cases at all.
Certain families have even contemplated relocating from their homes in order to secure dependable childcare services that would enable them to resume their professional commitments.
“Mothers came to see Angie and myself to share their personal grief and struggles at not being able to find childcare places locally or even within driving distance,” Dr Webster said.
“In Hopetoun, mothers told us of the mental health struggle they have endured not being able to obtain childcare for their children.
“The local provider ceased operations recently, and the local shires, Yarriambiack and Hindmarsh, have been working hard with Wimmera Southern Mallee Development’s By Five initiative to strengthen childcare in the region.
“I am working with them at state and federal levels to cut through the red tape and promote policy that will bring sustainable childcare to the region.”
By Five Early Years Initiative reports that more than 50 per cent of the Wimmera-southern Mallee is considered a childcare desert.
Ms Martin reiterated the importance of politicians hearing from affected families and those with local knowledge of the childcare crisis facing regional Australia.
“It is critical for both sides of federal politics to commit to resolving the issue of inequitable access to childcare for rural children, families and the broader region a key priority,” she said.
“Without getting this right, our region will be adversely impacted for generations to come.”
Common issue
Ms Bell said the whistlestop tour of Mallee electorate’s childcare deserts reinforced the unique challenges in regional Australia she had encountered travelling across Australia.
“Last week I heard stories about families and communities doing it tough because of limited or a lack of access to early learning, and unfortunately this is a common issue throughout regional, rural and remote Australia,” she said.
“The Albanese government is spending $8-billion on subsidies and higher wages and not delivering one single place for children in communities like Robinvale, Cohuna, Beulah and Hopetoun.
“As we approach the next federal election, the Coalition will continue to advocate for flexibility and choice for all families.”
In April, childcare services in Hopetoun were closed indefinitely after the service provider was unable to fill vacant qualified educator roles.
Staffing shortages are increasingly affecting the majority of childcare and early years services elsewhere in the region.
The closure of the Hopetoun childcare facility significantly affected the community, leading the Yarriambiack Shire and other stakeholders to enlist Emerge Early Years Services to manage kindergarten and childcare services in Hopetoun, including the kindergarten in Beulah starting from early 2025.
Mrs Smith said the issues affecting early years services across the region included access to funding, licencing constraints, a lack of flexibility in regulations for rural centres, comparative low wages, and unsecure employment due to a reliance on funding, which was hampering their efforts to re-establish the service.
Mrs Smith and Ms Martin spoke of solutions, including advocating to government for block funding for rural childcare providers; integrated long day care, with sessional kindergarten on school sites; incentives for early childhood professionals to live and work in rural Victoria; affordable housing to recruit, attract and retain early childhood professionals; and the need for the state and federal governments to work together with communities to achieve an outcome.
“Every family and child deserves access to high quality early childhood education and care – its non-negotiable,” Mrs Smith said.
“Rural communities simply cannot wait another generation for change”
Mrs Revell said By Five statistics showed 11 of 19 towns in the region with populations over 300 people did not have access to childcare at all, while 415 children are on a waitlist.
“We urge both sides of government to address the disparities and lack of access to childcare in our rural communities,” she said.
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