Families could miss out on childcare closer to home as the Victorian Government shuts down the funding pipeline to childcare deserts, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster MP warned today.

“Mothers turned out in force at my mobile offices last week in the Wimmera and Southern Mallee speaking about their struggles to access childcare. The Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Partnership’s By Five Early Years Initiative (By Five) have done amazing work since their 2021 inception, developing vital initiatives to address childcare deserts in Mallee. Sadly, the Victorian Government is shutting down their pipeline of financial support,” Dr Webster said.

“Lack of access to high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Mallee is a significant problem.  Mothers and fathers cannot work the hours they would like to, resulting in reduced workforce participation and the loss of crucial workforce in many sectors, particularly the care sector, where we have dire workforce shortages. 

“I am aware By Five have made a Federal pre-budget submission and I will be watching the Budget Tuesday week for what the Albanese Government does.”

Three of the Southern Mallee’s five Shires rank among the 10 most disadvantaged in Australia and children in the region are 40 per cent more likely to be developmentally vulnerable.

“Not only are Mallee families unable to access subsidised childcare, they can’t be employed to their full capacity and are deprived of income during this cost of living crisis.  Meanwhile, children do not get the early educational opportunities to facilitate healthy development - which is very important in Victoria after the former Andrews Labor Government set world records for lockdowns during children’s earliest years,” Dr Webster said.

The Victorian Government funded By Five for four years but the funding is due to cease. The group is seeking $3.5 million over four years to deliver Phase 2 of the ‘By Five Innovation and Equity Hub’ to continue their work, including interventions to improve access to other services essential to positive childhood developmental outcomes in a child’s first 2000 days. These interventions include improving access to antenatal care, tertiary paediatric services and allied health services.

Specifically, By Five’s proposed ECEC interventions include:

•         8 integrated rural kindergartens and long day care services (LDC)

•         8 new LDC services in small rural communities and

•         Documental and evaluated service model to spread and scale in other rural settings.

“Wimmera and Southern Mallee communities would benefit immensely through improved workforce participation, stronger household budgets and better childhood developmental outcomes,” Dr Webster said.

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