Page 1113 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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Currently, working families in west Belconnen are scrambling. They are changing their working days and juggling with family support or other providers in order to participate in employment and have secure care for their children. I understand that a parent would find it very difficult, if not impossible, to find childcare across five days in west Belconnen at the moment.
In some circumstances, of course, this is causing hardship and stress. This is not how childcare should be. I believe that after months of negotiation between providers and the department a decision was made in less than a week, despite providers participating in discussions for months.
It was only after frustration reached a peak and a public meeting was planned that the minister sprang into action and made a decision to expand Baringa and to amalgamate Gumnut and Alkira services, accommodating them at the former Flynn school site. Interestingly, it was in that former debate over Gumnut having to move out of Evatt preschool that I remember recommending that the Flynn site might be a possibility for Gumnut.
I am pleased to hear that Alkira and Gumnut are working positively and looking towards the future. They are excited about the new location. This is the way forward for committed community providers and I thank them for their professionalism and the service they provide. I simply want to question the forward planning of the department at this point and a lack of response to the families of west Belconnen, particularly when it comes to before and after preschool options.
Whilst in discussion with local constituents, it became fairly clear that the department and Ministers Burch and Barr are out of touch with what is happening on a day-to-day basis with families in west Belconnen. These families do not appear to be listened to. In recent discussions with Baringa childcare centre I was informed that as a direct result of the needs of families, Baringa tried to negotiate with the education department to provide a before and after service for families utilising Spence preschool.
There is a real need for this sort of childcare as preschools obviously provide a program only between 9 and 3 pm. Currently, for working families that need to access before and after preschool care they are required to pay for a place at a long-day care centre in order to access care for a short time in the morning and the afternoon. Baringa made formal and repeated representations to the minister to utilise the preschool facility—this is Minister Barr—for before and after preschool care to avoid these huge costs to parents and to free up places for those needing childcare across the day.
A full day of care for a preschool child costs $80. Before and after preschool care is around $15. Even if parents use both before and after preschool care they can save close to $50 a day. Minister Barr was contacted, as the appropriate minister, and no response was received. The principal or head teacher responsible for Spence preschool was then contacted and no response was received. So again an approach was made to Minister Barr’s office. Finally some action occurred.
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