Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last week, I visited Tanya at the Abracadabra family day-care centre in Spreyton. Tanya's been operating there for 25 years, and for a large proportion of that time she has been operating under a dual educator model. She's now caring for the children of the kids she once cared for, and she's certainly much loved.

Recommendation 5.3 of the Productivity Commission report into child care recommended that, particularly in rural and regional areas, the dual educator model be permitted under the national framework. The government, through the minister, has told this chamber twice now that the government will be implementing those recommendations. Recently, the Tasmanian government did their bit in this discussion, which has been referred to by the minister on a couple of occasions, and granted Abracadabra family day care and Addisons family day care at Latrobe an extension and a temporary waiver of the guidelines until 31 January 2026.

The question is: when will the government do what it said it would do, which is implement the recommendations of the Productivity Commission review? When will the minister implement recommendation 5.3 of the Productivity Commission review, which will take the pressure off these two family day-care centres, which are providing service in an area of need in north-west Tasmania. The minister has the future of these facilities at the tip of her pen. Tanya is now deciding whether she remains open when school starts again next year. That's the decision that this government needs to make: will it support the provision of childcare services in our region, or will it continue to sit on its hands?