CUMMINS RURAL CARE FACILITY

Mrs PENFOLD (Flinders) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Education and Children's Services. Will the minister advise when Cummins will have the funding to build a rural care facility to enable parents to have their children cared for while they work or have time out? The Cummins community has been without a rural care facility for a long time and, in this time of severe drought and the accompanying stress and depression, when there is a need for families to seek off-farm employment, child care is needed more than ever. The community bank has put forward over $50,000 towards this project which should be funded by the Department of Education and Children's Services. There has been continuing delay in the upgrade of the facility to licensed standards that would enable it to commence operation.

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education and Children's Services, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (15:01): I regret that I missed the sense of the question. Could the member for Flinders repeat it please? I did not hear the town.

Mrs PENFOLD: Will the minister advise when Cummins will have funding to build a rural care facility to enable parents to have their children cared for while they work or have time out?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: I apologise to the member; I did not catch the name of the town to which she was referring. Now I know it is Cummins, I am still unable to give her a precise answer, but I will look into the matter for her.