Petty Politics vs Childcare – Definitely NOT A Good Look
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August 23, 2011“KIDS are the victims of a silly stand-off between government ministers…Country children are the innocent victims of an absurd political stand-off between Victorian Coalition Minister for Children Wendy Lovell and her federal Labor counterpart Kate Ellis.” Peter Hunt, The Weekly Times
What’s This All About?
These ministers are disputing who should fund around $1.9 million pa for Take-A-Break occasional childcare (OCC) in Victoria.
What’s At Stake?
The access of 9000 Victorian children to 220 occasional childcare centres, including 99 in regional areas.
Occasional childcare enables children – often from isolated areas – to start the all-important socialising process, and it gives parents the opportunity to study, attend appointments, share often dangerous farmwork, and sometimes simply ‘take a break’ when family support is not available. For some OCC acts as a three year-old Kinder.
About The Dispute
The Federal Government cut funding to the service in its 2010 Budget. At the time, the NSW, Queensland, South Australian, West Australian and former Victorian State Governments took over the funding and all bar Victoria continue to do so.
Minister Wendy Lovell has told childcare providers the Victorian Government would return to its funding, but only if the Federal Minister Kate Ellis agreed to fund the remainder. Kate Ellis’ reply is that they have already given $210 million – though I hear from country mothers that this is tied to training and not to ‘little bums on seats’.
Tatura farmer and rally organiser Catherine Dooley says:
“It’s such a tiny amount of money…It’s absolutely ridiculous. This is about mothers’ sanity, having a break and the (childcare) workers who are part of our extended family.”
COUNTRY mothers, children and childcare workers rallied on the steps of the Victorian Parliament 18 August but there has been no response from Premier Ted Baillieu.
Competition For The Funding!!!!!
In a ‘very tight budget’, the Victorian Premier has allocated the following:
- $13.5million to clean up graffiti over the next four years
- $2million to boost the prize pool for jumps racing as part of a package $79.5million racing package
- $1million towards a design competition for Flinders Street Station
- $2million to re-open a railway crossing in deputy Liberal leader Louise Asher’s electorate, which was ranked 223 in a government assessment of crossings needing a safety upgrade
- $1million to encourage people to adopt retired greyhounds
Some Questions
1. Are retired greyhounds, design competitions and jumps racing prizes more important than our kids’ futures?
2. Why is the federal $210 million Kinder funding restricted to upgrading training when it seems some of those it’s destined to help will be excluded?
This SHOULD be a matter of basic COMMUNICATION about the common good!!!
4 Comments
The Governments priorities are unbelievable. Children are the future of this country. High quality child care is a fantastic way for children to take the first step onto the educational roller coaster. There are more and more expectations being put on not only teachers & parents but also on children when they enter the educational system. If children can have positive experiences in attending occasional care or daycare before attending kindergarten then it makes it a whole lot easier for them, their family and the teachers. I have seen the proof of this from having worked for over 15 years in this industry and from feedback for parents, teachers and the children themselves when they get older. I know there are families who chose not to send their child to care and that’s fine, but some families need to for a variety of reasons so the Government needs to make sure that funding is provided which gives families some options as to the type of care they are able to access. Child care, especially Occasional Care, is not valued highly enough by the Government.
Occasional Childcare is a very important preventative service to Mothers suffering Post Natal or other types of depression.
I started a Facebook page to try and get some additional support for my Chelsea centre 3 months ago, the support for all the centres has snowballed with 1500 now following the page.
There have been State and Federal rallies, there has been press and TV coverage.
State and Federal agree the program is valuable but we are now being used as a political football. So many parents have expressed there frustration that these centres may close and the clock is ticking.
More information and news is updated here – http://www.facebook.com/SaveTakeABreak
The paragon of unedrstndaing these issues is right here!