Community
28 February, 2025
Dyson backs childcare reform
ALEX Dyson, Independent candidate for Wannon, this week met with local families and childcare reform advocates, ‘The Parenthood’, at Granny’s Grave playground in Warrnambool.
Mr Dyson has backed urgent reforms to address the region’s severe shortage of early learning and childcare services.
The Parenthood, a group of 72 organisations (including the SouthWest Victorian Alliance and Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West) has called on Wannon candidates to commit to national childcare reforms in the lead-up to the federal election.
A piece of childcare reform to relieve cost-of-living pressures for families passed through federal parliament on Thursday, despite the Liberal Party voting against it.
Families will be able to access three days a week of subsidised early childhood education for children who need it from January 2026.
The reforms also abolished the activity test for childcare subsidy limits.
Mr Dyson said it was disappointing the Liberal Party opposed a crucial piece of reform to ease cost-of-living pressures on families.
“If elected, I will always vote in the best interests of Wannon families, not the major parties,” he said.
“These changes are a meaningful step towards a universal early childhood system; every child deserves the right to early education.”
Most of south-west Victoria is classified as a ‘childcare desert’ with severe shortages or no services at all in communities across the electorate.
Mr Dyson added that while work was happening at a local level to address the shortages, strong leadership was needed at a federal level to create genuine change.
“I heard so many childcare horror stories during my listening tour across Wannon last year and I met with The Parenthood in Warrnambool today to talk about the national reforms we need around childcare,” he said.
“The local families I spoke to at Granny’s Grave playground were putting themselves on waiting lists to receive child care in 2026 or 2027 and relying on family, friends and grandparents to fill the gap.
“I am absolutely committed to supporting the Parenthood’s good work to get a better deal for childcare across the south-west.
“The crisis we face now has been years in the making. We need long-term solutions as well as quick fixes to ease the pressure, and this needs decisive action at federal level.
“We can’t afford to mess around or politicise this.”
Alex said he supported solutions proposed by The Parenthood’s Access for Every Child: Regional, Rural and Remote statement.
“Building a local childcare workforce is key; we need to recruit and retain childcare staff by offering better pay, conditions, and affordable housing so that educators can live and thrive locally.
“We need incentives for childcare services and staff in our communities, as well as funding a Childcare Centre of Excellence at Deakin University.
“Strong public management and a funding model that supports childcare providers to deliver services, knowing they’ll receive funding regardless of enrolment numbers, is also important.
“In the shorter term, support for rural nannies, in-home care, and expanding options such as family day care, mobile childcare, and playgroups can help fill that gap.”
