A LACK of early childhood education and care across regional Australia is hampering the nation’s economic prosperity, according to the Regional Australia Institute.
The RAI has joined with more than 50 organisations to call for the development and delivery of universal access to early childhood education and care for every regional, rural, and remote child across Australia.
Launched in Canberra and coordinated by independent, not-for-profit advocacy organisation, The Parenthood, the new Access for Every Child Coalition has released a joint statement with six calls to action. These include the implementation of public management of the early childhood education and care system in collaboration with state and territory governments, and the implementation of a regional, rural and remote national workforce strategy, including culturally safe training for First Nations educators.
RAI chief executive Liz Ritchie said the Coalition’s joint statement spoke directly to both recent research by the Institute and the Regionalisation Ambition – a holistic 10-year plan for regional Australia addressing key themes such as jobs and skills, liveability, and population.
“Regional Australia’s population has grown by 6 per cent over the last five years and is now home to nearly 10 million people, but far too many of those people still struggle to access the early childhood education and care they both deserve and require,” Ms Ritchie said.
“In 2022, nearly four million regional Australians lived in a ‘childcare desert’. This must change, otherwise the aspirations the government has for the regions to lead the nation’s transition to a low-carbon economy will be difficult to achieve.
“Our youngest regional residents gain so much from being able to access the specialised care and nurturing early childhood education and care workers provide.
“Likewise, many regional parents are eager to work, or work more, but can’t because of a lack of access to childcare.
“In April alone there were almost 80,000 jobs advertised across regional Australia – many of those could very well be filled if more early childcare was available in the regions.”
