AMANDA RISHWORTH MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDOOD EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT
SHADOW MINISTER FOR YOUTH
MEMBER FOR KINGSTON

LIBBY COKER MP
MEMBER FOR CORANGAMITE

An Albanese Labor Government will provide $450,000 to expand the Bannockburn Family Services Centre’s (BFSC) childcare services. 

The commitment was announced in Bannockburn today (14 April 2022), jointly by Shadow Minister for Childhood Education and Development, Amanda Rishworth MP, and Member for Corangamite, Libby Coker MP. 

Today’s announcement dovetails with Labor’s national plan to help families access affordable child care. 

Labor’s cheaper child care plan means 96 per cent of families across the nation will be better off – that’s about 1.26 million families. 

Labor will lift the maximum child care subsidy rate to 90 per cent for families for the first child in care, and will increase subsidy rates for every family with one child in care, when the family is earning less than $530,000 per household. 

Quotes attributable to Amanda Rishworth: 

“Under the Morrison Government, Australia has one of the most expensive systems of child care in the world. 

"In Australia today many parents have to make a decision about whether they bother going to work, because all of their pay is going into childcare. It's just so expensive. 

"We need to support these families so parents have the choice of going back to work, which is good for the family budget and good for the Australian economy. 

"Providing childcare, children’s health and kindergarten services are priorities for Labor, especially in fast-growing communities like Bannockburn. 

“Labor will not only provide cheaper childcare to the nation, we will help fund infrastructure for new child care and kindergarten places." 

Quotes attributable to Libby Coker:  

“Funding was desperately needed for Bannockburn and the wider Golden Plains Shire. 

"Bannockburn and the Golden Plains generally have a rapidly expanding population, and a lot of the growth is in young families with kids. 

"Demand for child care places is going through the roof, and kindergarten places are projected to double over the next seven years. 

“Bannockburn is the only town in the whole shire with child care centres, so there's a big catchment area. 

“The current services in Bannockburn hit full capacity earlier this year, and the waiting list is now getting longer and longer. 

"This funding is desperately needed, and needed on-the-ground to get the extended facilities built as soon as possible."