Government support for Council-run early education and care sector falls short: Mayor Waller
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Mayor of Liverpool Wendy Waller today welcomed funding relief from the Federal Government for Council-run early education and care services; however, stressed it’s not enough to fill the revenue shortfall created by extended stay-at-home orders.
The support package announced by the Federal Government comprises fortnightly payments of up to 25 per cent of pre-lockdown revenue which, according to the Federal Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE), will be available in the next fortnight. According to the DESE, providers must satisfy the following conditions:
having reasonable expectations attendance will drop below 50 per cent;not accessing other Commonwealth Government-funded business supports;waiving gap fees for all families whose children are not attending;maintaining staffing levels; andagreeing to a fee freeze for the duration of business continuity payments.This follows a sector-wide advocacy campaign in July this year involving Local Government NSW (LGNSW), early childhood peak bodies and mayors from several Local Government Areas.
The campaign called on the Federal Government to deliver urgent financial support to Council-run early childhood providers after changes made to waive gap fees for families whose children remain home, left many councils across the state out of pocket.
Mayor Waller, who lent her voice in support of the campaign, said the funding would bring some relief to providers who have been heavily impacted by the extended COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
“Our early education and care providers are the unsung heroes of the pandemic frontline, continuing to deliver care for the children of essential workers including nurses and doctors.
“While this support will help early education and care providers remain financially viable, our calculations show the support will not fully offset lost revenues with many providers likely to continue running at a loss potentially totalling thousands of dollars.
“Therefore, we are once again calling on the Federal Government to offer further support to not only safeguard the financial viability of the sector but ensure quality of service is maintained at the highest level throughout this important period and beyond,” Mayor Waller said.
All of Liverpool City Council’s six Early Education and Care Centres and Pre-School exceed national standards outlined by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).