Page 614 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012
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I note that Mrs Dunne has said, I think on 666, that we are not contemplating opening up for the private sector or the community sector to build these places. Again Mrs Dunne is putting out wrong information. She has got it wrong. We are releasing land at Mackellar and Giralang. That has been sold. And Macarthur, Holt and Gungahlin will be sold before midyear. That will go to the community sector, including community childcare.
In Holder the government has identified $7 million to establish a childcare centre. It will assist parents and children and support the early development of Molonglo valley. This gives greater choice to people wanting to live in the area. The DA for that centre is with ACTPLA and the notification is open until the end of this month. I expect that construction will be underway by June. In Belconnen we have identified a site in Holt next to west Belconnen child and family centre. This will be released to the market within the next couple of months.
We know that there is interest among childcare operators in acquiring land to build new centres. This is what we are getting on and doing with the release of our land sites. By expanding the number of childcare places, we may help to drive costs down. I am very pleased that Mrs Dunne agrees with me on that.
MR HARGREAVES: A supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hargreaves, a supplementary.
MR HARGREAVES: Has the minister had her directorate undertake any analysis of alternative proposals for childcare in the ACT?
MS BURCH: I thank Mr Hargreaves for his interest in children’s services in the ACT. This government has a strong track record on listening to families and listening to the childcare sector on how we can improve services. One proposal I have analysed is the idea that a government could run a centralised waiting list for childcare places. It is an interesting proposal, one that has been around for some time. Despite the overwhelmingly negative response from the sector, I thought it was only fair for the directorate to have a look at this.
Unfortunately, my directorate has advised me that such a proposal is not feasible. I am advised that it would require significant investment and legislative amendments. It would require the government to mandate and enforce services to regularly provide updated vacancy details—that is, daily updates from the private and community sectors. We consider that to be burdensome.
I am advised that there is currently no capacity to keep data on a waiting list in the way that would be necessary for a centralised waiting list. I am also advised that implementing a centralised waiting list would increase the regulatory burden on services. In other words, a centralised, mandated waiting list for childcare places would be expensive, heavy handed, bureaucratic and an unwanted burden on services.
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