24 MayAdvocating for rural and regional ECEC solutions at the Grain Growers Roundtable
ELAA was pleased to attend the Grain Growers Roundtable on 23 May in Canberra.
Attendees included the Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education, Dr Anne Aly, the Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Angie Bell, Grain Growers Australia CEO, Shona Gawel, Productivity Commission Assistant Commissioner, Miriam Veisman-Apter, Early Childhood Australia CEO, Samantha Page, and a host of grain growing representatives with an interest in regional employment and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC).
The Roundtable was brought together by grain industry representatives from across Australia to discuss and plan solutions for delivering ECEC in rural, regional, and remote environments.
Industry representatives spoke about the challenges of combining farm work and running a business with caring for and educating children, and attracting staff to rural and regional areas.
The need for place-based solutions was raised, as some representatives were engaging in kindergarten via distance education, while others were closer to regional centres but unable to find a place in ECEC.
Minister Aly attended and highlighted the government’s commitment to ECEC including building the workforce and encouraged industry to innovate and propose potential solutions to government.
She also highlighted the new budget initiatives to fund practicum, which were warmly received by the group.
ELAA raised the potential solution of supporting kindergartens to offer extended hours beyond funded programs by extending access to the Child Care Subsidy to services not currently eligible. Roundtable attendees noted that many communities had kindergartens, and that better utilising existing assets was important. They also noted that the Productivity Commission was well placed to look into this issue.
ELAA hopes to invite our rural members to the next extended meeting of this group to progress solutions across rural, regional and remote Australia.
