Lack of childcare a burden on the bush

Limited childcare options for rural families are hurting regional economies. Parents say something needs to change.

Families in regional Australia are faced with inadequate or no childcare services.

Families living in regional, rural and remote Australia have limited or non-existent access to early childhood education and care services and say it is hurting the future of their children.

Lack of childcare services means rural towns suffer financially, workforce shortages worsen and children miss out on the social benefits, according to a new report by advocacy group The Parenthood.

The Choiceless report features more than 160 stories from parents about the difficulty in accessing childcare and the problems of not having access to services.

Broome mother Kim Brown said some mums in the Western Australian town were unable to return to work after having children because they could not get them into a care centre.

The Parenthood said the case studies were the basis for their push for universal access to early childhood education and care.

It also cited a 2022 Mitchell Institute report that found about 9 million Australians lived in a “childcare desert” and rural families were disproportionately affected.

The Parenthood’s campaign director Maddy Butler said families in regional Australia were being left without a fair choice.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is running an inquiry into the market for childcare services and is due to report to Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers by the end of the year.