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

I rise tonight after a visit to a little multi-educator family-day-care facility at Latrobe in Tasmania last week. Addisons family day care has been operating for about 15 years as a multi-educator family-day-care model. They are currently caring for about 50 children from 35 families, and I've raised this matter before in the chamber. Not long prior, I visited a little place called Abracadabra family day care at Spreyton, which has been operating for 20 years as a dual educator model. Tanya is looking after some children there, and there are about 35 children at that facility, again from a number of families.

The issue I want to raise tonight relates to a sincere request for the government to get on with the job of implementing recommendation 5.3 of the Productivity Commission's review of childcare services. If it doesn't, the running of these two facilities will be under threat. I was talking to Natalie last week, and the expense to her service, if this recommendation isn't implemented, will be something in the order of $600,000 to make alterations to the facility. In terms of Tanya's facility at Spreyton, the reality is that it may need to close, and all of those families and all of those children will lose access to the service. Interestingly, I was talking to the local council after I met with Natalie last week, and the deputy mayor said that these services aren't just appreciated in the local community; they are loved. That is the value that's placed on them by the families that utilise these services. In many cases, more than one generation of children have been through these multi-educator family-day-care centres.

Just to put it into context, I'll read out recommendation 5.3 of the Productivity Commission review, which is:

Allow two family day care services to be run in a single venue in regional and remote Australia.

The National Quality Framework should be amended to allow two educators to provide education and care to up to 14 children at any one time at an approved family day care venue. No more than eight children can be preschool age or under.

This amendment should only apply to approved family day care venues in Inner Regional Australia, Outer Regional Australia, Remote Australia and Very Remote Australia as defined in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard.

The minister has said on a number of occasions that the government is implementing the recommendations of the Productivity Commission review. That's very good, terrific. But in terms of these two small providers, in an area of childcare shortage, can you please just get on with it. These services are needed. Both of them have waiting lists of over 100. I acknowledge that the government is providing a significant amount of money to support another private facility in Latrobe. One other centre said that it was going to close, and a new provider is coming into town, so the government is funding a temporary service. But we can't afford to lose the services that are there, and we certainly can't afford to lose ones that are so greatly appreciated by the community. As I said, the deputy mayor of Latrobe said to me on Friday, 'These services are not just appreciated; they are loved.'

Please don't leave this situation to hang. They are currently operating under exemptions granted by the state government. The state government is doing its bit. Can I say, Minister, please get on with the job of implementing recommendation number 5.3. There's no controversy. It just helps take the pressure off these services—in some cases it allows them to continue to operate. But it also provides really important and valued services for local communities. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind honourable senators that the legislation committees will meet to consider estimates, commencing on Monday 9 February 2026 at 9 am.

Senate adjourned at 17:40