Page 1768 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 5 May 2010
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childcare places will be negatively impacted by improvement in quality. We are factoring in growth; indeed, the investment in Flynn allows for a growth of childcare places across the ACT. That is what families are telling me. They are telling me they want childcare places, and that is what we are delivering.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, a supplementary?
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, has any audit of childcare in the ACT been completed by you to ascertain the level of impact of the regulatory changes, including current and anticipated demand, and if not, why not?
MS BURCH: It is a little bit of deja vu. We have done some work. You know that there has been work done on looking at the costs. We have done work around what these programs and the COAG improvements are going to do for us here in the ACT. There is no negative impact. The impact is that the workforce within the childcare sector will be supported. They will be better trained. We have CIT providing wonderful graduation rates of childcare workers being trained. So COAG will improve quality in the childcare sector. This is what the families are welcoming and this is what we are delivering.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Dunne?
MRS DUNNE: Minister, will the changes in ratios force any childcare centres to reduce the number of children that they will be able to accept?
MS BURCH: I have not been approached by any childcare provider, whether community sector or private provider, telling me that they will be reducing childcare places. Certainly it has not been raised in the children’s services forum either. I do not expect it to happen.
Housing—community
MS BRESNAN: My question is to the minister for housing and concerns community housing. Minister, I understand that an independent review was recently conducted, investigating the impact that the government’s funding formulae for community housing had on Havelock Housing. Minister, could you please inform the Assembly what findings the review made?
MS BURCH: The department has been working with Havelock Housing over some time. Indeed, there was a review done by Oakton, an independent accounting firm. That draft report is finalised and has been released to Havelock Housing for comment. We are working with Havelock, as we have done on a weekly and monthly basis, to come to an end of this process, and to work with them to ensure that they have a sustainable business model so that they can continue to do their work in this sector. We are waiting for them to provide final comments to the department. The department will work through those final comments. This is an ongoing discussion with a view clearly to working with Havelock to ensure that they have a sustainable business model.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Bresnan, a supplementary?
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