Key Points
Labor will include a provision for new childcare centres in every new school or major redevelopment, and make them available for existing providers.
Access to early childhood education and care in Tasmania is a problem for working families.
A Dean Winter Labor Government will:
- Increase the number of childcare centres located at government schools
- Fund a pilot program on the West Coast to make childcare available in regional areas
- Work with providers to increase access to childcare on school sites in the long-term and give providers time to plan for staffing the new centres
Why we need it
Families are struggling with cost of living and parents are having to give up extra hours at work because they can’t find the care they need for their children.
Across our state there is simply not enough childcare available for Tasmanians who are trying to balance their childcare responsibilities with paying their bills.
- According to national metrics, Tasmania has almost no areas with adequate childcare coverage.
- In some towns, there is no service at all.
- That’s why we need a fresh start for working parents across the state.
“Labor will back our regions by ensuring Tasmanians have the same ability to balance work and family, no matter where they live.”
The details
A Dean Winter Labor Government will require that childcare centres are provided in every new public school or major redevelopment, and we will make government owned land and buildings available now for existing providers.
In the short-term, a Labor government will work with the West Coast Council to open and operate a new, small early childhood education and care service.
We will allocate $500,000 over the next two years to run this pilot on the West Coast, until a provider is able to take over.
If this model is successful, we will look to roll it out in other regional areas where there is no other option for families.
These policies will mean more Tasmanian families can benefit from the Albanese Labor Government commitments like Cheaper Child Care, the 3 Day Guarantee, and the $1 billion Building Early Education Fund.
We can’t fix the childcare shortage overnight, but we can make a start.
