❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister about regional childcare funding, alleging funds are being diverted to Metronet. The Minister denies cuts and highlights ongoing consultations for future community-based childcare models.
AnsweredQoN 578Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
REGIONAL CHILD CARE
578. Mr R.S. LOVE to the
Minister for Community Services:
I have a supplementary
question. I thank the minister for finally getting back to the point about
regional child care instead of what happens in Mirrabooka, which I am sure is
important, but is not what I was asking about. Can the minister outline who was
consulted about this decision, and whether the regional childcare sector has
once again fallen victim to having royalties for regions ripped out from the
regions and spent on Metronet?
578. Mr R.S. LOVE to the
Minister for Community Services:
I have a supplementary
question. I thank the minister for finally getting back to the point about
regional child care instead of what happens in Mirrabooka, which I am sure is
important, but is not what I was asking about. Can the minister outline who was
consulted about this decision, and whether the regional childcare sector has
once again fallen victim to having royalties for regions ripped out from the
regions and spent on Metronet?
AnswerView source ↗
I take issue with
the member saying that the model of community-based child care is not relevant,
because unless he and his party members understand —
Mr R.S. Love : An answer about what's occurring in
Mirrabooka is irrelevant to what I asked you.
Ms S.F. McGURK : The member was in government with the Liberals for
eight years. Unless members opposite understand those sorts of community
organisations and how they not only might add value for the parents who
participate and the people who volunteer, but also can be sustainable in the
long run, we will be struggling because for-profit childcare providers will not
be viable in all communities. That is the purpose of the regional community
childcare development fund.
Mr D.T. Redman : But you're cutting it.
Ms S.F. McGURK : No, we are not cutting it out. We have maintained
it in this budget and local consultation is occurring at the moment for trials
in the south west and in the wheatbelt. It is not to provide services for those
communities but to set up a model under which childcare services will be made
available in the future, such as community-based family day care and other
models that can be implemented in small and regional communities in the future.
the member saying that the model of community-based child care is not relevant,
because unless he and his party members understand —
Mr R.S. Love : An answer about what's occurring in
Mirrabooka is irrelevant to what I asked you.
Ms S.F. McGURK : The member was in government with the Liberals for
eight years. Unless members opposite understand those sorts of community
organisations and how they not only might add value for the parents who
participate and the people who volunteer, but also can be sustainable in the
long run, we will be struggling because for-profit childcare providers will not
be viable in all communities. That is the purpose of the regional community
childcare development fund.
Mr D.T. Redman : But you're cutting it.
Ms S.F. McGURK : No, we are not cutting it out. We have maintained
it in this budget and local consultation is occurring at the moment for trials
in the south west and in the wheatbelt. It is not to provide services for those
communities but to set up a model under which childcare services will be made
available in the future, such as community-based family day care and other
models that can be implemented in small and regional communities in the future.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.