Backing Gippsland families… Regional families need access to affordable childcare. I visited Paynesville Child Care and caught up with Paynesville Neighbourhood Centre Manager Julia Fitz-Gerald to discuss the growing financial and operational pressures facing this important community service. For more than 30 years, Paynesville Child Care has supported local families, and today it provides care for 41 children. Despite strong local demand, the service has been unsuccessful in its application for funding under Round 5 of the Commonwealth Community Child Care Fund. It's the second community-run childcare service in Gippsland to miss out, following a similar outcome for Kids House in Heyfield. I have raised the issue in Federal Parliament and demanded answers from the Albanese Government. Why have small regional centres been overlooked while suburban facilities were funded? Childcare isn't a luxury for regional families. It's essential community infrastructure that allows parents to work, study and contribute to their local communities. In smaller towns like Paynesville and Heyfield, families don't have the same range of childcare options available in our cities. These services face rising operating costs, staffing challenges and strict regulatory requirements, without the financial resources or economies of scale enjoyed by larger providers. If a local childcare service closes, families can't simply assume there will be another place available down the road. And the consequences extend well beyond the families directly affected, with flow-on impacts for local businesses, hospitals, farms and other employers who rely on working parents. I've been calling for greater funding certainty for regional childcare providers, recognising that their value to the community extends well beyond the number of children enrolled. Our regional childcare services shouldn't have to live from one competitive funding round to the next, uncertain about their future. Thank you to Julia and the dedicated team at Paynesville Child Care for the work you continue to do supporting local children and families. Regional families deserve reliable access to childcare, and the people providing these essential services deserve greater certainty about their future. #lovegippsland
