Hon. Donna Faragher questions the Minister for Community Services regarding the allocation of $1.431 million for 'Access to Regional Childcare'. The Minister provides a breakdown of the $5.1 million commitment over four years, detailing funding for attraction/retention packages and viability initiatives.

AnsweredQoN 588Legislative Council
Asked
13 June 2023
Portfolio
Community Services

QuestionView source ↗

CHILD CARE — REGIONs
588. Hon DONNA FARAGHER to the minister representing the
Minister for Community Services:
I refer to budget paper No 2, volume
2, page 521 and the line item ''Access to Regional Childcare''
that indicates the estimated actual spend in 2022–23 was $1 431 000.
Will the minister provide a full breakdown of how those funds were allocated
and distributed?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following response has been provided by the
Minister for Early Childhood Education.
The
state Labor government has committed $5.1 million to a range of initiatives to
improve access to early childhood education and care services for
families in the regions over four years. There are two parts to the initiatives,
with $1 million for attraction and retention packages for a regional childcare
workers program; $250 000 of the funding is
allocated through local government authorities per annum. The second round of
grants is currently being distributed to eight regional LGAs located in
Carnarvon, Port Hedland, Ravensthorpe, Shark Bay, Wyndham–East
Kimberley, Lake Grace, Gnowangerup and the Shire of Kent. Through rounds 1 and
2 of the attraction and retention packages for
regional child care workers program, 17 local governments have received $530 869
to support the provision of early childhood education care into their regions;
$4.1 million to develop initiatives that support the viability of regional
early childhood education and care services through advice or support or
resources or through the development of a clustering model. Further details
regarding this initiative will be released soon.

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