Regional Childcare Services

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:49): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Regional Development and Primary Industries about childcare shortages in regional areas.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Last December, 23 councils in the north and west of South Australia formed the Regional Childcare Desert Advocacy Project to highlight the flow-on effects of the shortage of child care in the regions. Health professionals, teachers and small business owners are just some of the faces in this campaign which calls for urgent funding to solve a critical childcare shortage across most of regional South Australia that is preventing skilled and otherwise available workers from participating in the workforce. They said it was hampering regional development and wellbeing, with the seat of Grey, covering 92.4 per cent of South Australia, found to be the worst for childcare accessibility in Australia, according to a 2022 study by the Mitchell Institute. My questions to the minister are:

1. What is the Malinauskas government's strategy to address childcare shortages for communities in regional South Australia?

2. With 23 councils in regional South Australia calling for more childcare accessibility, what advocacy has the minister undertaken, as Minister for Regional Development, to minimise the negative impact in the local economy and the wellbeing of our regional communities?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for her question. Child care certainly is a significant issue in regional areas in particular. The Malinauskas Labor government's commitment to three-year-old preschool will, of course, play a part in assisting in reducing the barriers that are in place for those who are currently caring for their children to enable them to enter or re-enter the paid workforce.

I think it is important that we note that a great deal of the responsibility for child care comes under federal government policy. In terms of where we do have an opportunity to contribute to assisting with child care, I can certainly point to a number of applications to the Thriving Regions Fund for either assistance with facilities or, in some cases, some changes to facilities that will enable existing facilities to have greater numbers. It is something which is particularly important in regional areas, though I note that, of course, in metropolitan areas there are some challenges as well.

We will continue to work where possible noting that this is something that is well known and will continue to be, no doubt, a particular challenge. I also seem to recall that we have been able to make some changes in terms of training for childcare workers. Whilst that is not my particular portfolio I would need to check the details with my colleague in the other place. I think that is also an important part that we need to be very conscious of, and having the workforce needed going forward for what will no doubt be an increase in demand is also particularly important.