Child care boost in north-west Queensland and Torres Strait

The Coalition Government has delivered an extra 180 outside school hours child care places for families living in the remote and isolated areas of north-west Queensland, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Larry Anthony announced today.

Mr Anthony said funding of $69,000 would help families and parents in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York Peninsula to access outside school hours care.

“This funding will provide new outside school hours care places in areas where there is a high need for flexible child care and also increase the number of places available at existing services.

“180 new places have been allocated to five after-school and vacation care services and extra funding will be available to purchase necessary educational resources and play equipment.”

The new places will be spread across after-school and vacation care programs in Burketown and Croydon, the remote indigenous communities of Doomadgee and Bamaga, as well as the small Torres Strait Islander community of Kubin on Moa Island.

“Vacation care, and before and after-school care programs are designed to meet the educational and recreational needs of school age children in safe, supervised environments.

“Geographically and socially isolated areas generally have fewer child care options available. This is why the Coalition Government is continuing to work hard to deliver accessible child care services where they are needed.

“The Coalition Government has spent $4.3 billion on child care over the last four year – 30 per cent more than Labor’s last four years. We have also committed an unprecedented $6 billion for the next four years,” Mr Anthony said.

Families using Outside School Hours Care services can claim Child Care Benefit to assist with the cost of care.

For more information about child care, families can call the Commonwealth Government’s national Child Care Access Hotline on 1800 670 305.