THE Albanese government is consistent in one thing at least – it loves a headline.
But in its efforts to garner positive media and come out with signature policies, it falls short in the detail and consequently fails to support reginal families in particular.
The Cheaper Child Care subsidy is proof.
It is feel-good policy on the run but it does little to aid those who really need it.
In Parliament recently I read a letter from a desperate mother in St Arnaud who is unable to return to work as a teacher because there are no places available for her children until 2025.
It is a perverse outcome, with many smaller communities crying out for teachers, nurses and other skil sets.
Parents who could fill these roles can’t get child care, so they are unable to contribute to solving workforce shortages, even though they wish to.
Sadly this situation is not uncommon across Mallee’s childcare desert – and indeed wider regional Australia.
Billions of dollars of taxpayer money spent on subsidies has not created one more place in childcare for regional Australian families.
Meanwhile, families who can access childcare are also finding their subsidies swallowed up by rising fees.
For example, Goodstart Early Learning, a not-for-profit childcare organisation, has four centres in Malle: one in Horsham, one in Swan Hill and two in Mildura.
It has increased its fees by nearly 8 per cent – which funds increased wages and increased operating costs.
Around Australia, I am hearing some fees are rising by more than 15 per cent – right in the middle of a cost of living crisis for Australia.
So while the Albanese government makes grand announcements, regional Australians are no better off.
