Government cannot guarantee regional child care centres with new school starting age

 More than 20 regional child care centres hold genuine concerns
 Rockliff cannot guarantee future for parents
 Minister’s claim to have consulted widely does not stack up

The Hodgman Government’s irresponsible and ill-informed move to lower Tasmania’s school starting age could have a devastating effect on regional child care centres with no guarantee they will be able to continue into the future.

Shadow Education Minister Michelle O’Byrne said more than 20 child care centres from Bagdad to Queenstown to Flinders Island held genuine concerns that services would be affected by the government’s decision to send children into schools aged three-and-a-half.

“The government’s kindergarten plan is putting at risk family access to services in regional areas for children aged under three-a-half,” Ms O’ Byrne said.

“When asked directly in the Parliament today, Mr Rockliff could not guarantee that families in regional Tasmania would be able to access child care once the changes to the Education Act are introduced.

“Child care centres will become unviable and too expensive to operate if they are able to only cater for children under the Hodgman Government’s proposed new school starting age and the Minister admitted he has no plan to ensure that services can be maintained.

“This puts a lie to the Minister’s claim that he has consulted with child care centres.

“If the Minister genuinely wants what is best for children, then he will stop this unnecessary move, engage with communities and understand the very serious implications for all Tasmanian parents and children.”
Michelle O’Byrne MP Shadow Education Minister