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❓ I refer to access to service capacity for the childcare sector in regional Western Australia, and I ask: (a) please table the number of childcare services in regional Western Australia that have close

AnsweredQoN 1300Legislative Council

Asked

10 March 2026

Member

Hon Michelle Boylan

Portfolio

Early Childhood

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to access to service capacity for the childcare sector in regional Western Australia, and I ask: (a) please table the number of childcare services in regional Western Australia that have closed, broken down by region between June 2023 and January 2026; (b) between June 2023 and January 2026 how many new childcare services have opened in regional WA; (c) since June 2023 how many childcare services in regional WA have applied to expand their licensed capacity since 2023; and (d) as at 1 January 2026, how many regional towns have been identified by the Department as having a shortage of childcare places?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

14 April 2026

Responded by

Leader of the House representing the Minister for Early Childhood

Response time

5 days

a)      Data has been provided for the period 1 June 2023 to 31 January 2026.
Regional WA
2023
2024
2025
2026
Total
Gascoyne
0
0
1
0
1
Great Southern
1
2
0
0
3
Kimberley
0
0
1
0
1
Mid West
0
0
3
0
3
Peel
1
2
5
1
9
Pilbara
1
0
2
0
3
South West
1
1
1
0
3
Wheatbelt
0
2
4
0
6
Total
4
7
17
1
29
b)      64
c)      44
The Department of Communities does not hold this data.

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