Labor is spruiking what they say is a record childcare commitment that will leave families the winners ahead of the state election.
Rebecca White has promised to “significantly expand” the number of childcare services in Tasmania to offer families “much-needed support in the cost-of-living crisis”.
“Labor’s policy will expand childcare services in 50 locations, to increase access, increase workforce participation and allow parents to earn more,” she said.
“In total, our policy will create an additional 4,500 places in childcare, assisting more than 3,500 Tasmanian families.”
The expansion will be achieved through the construction of 30 new early childhood centres and by doubling the number of grants available to expand outside school-hours care in 20 locations.
“A Labor Government will allocate $75 million for capital works and make government land and buildings available,” she said.
“After 10 years of the Liberals, Tasmanian families have the worst access to early education and care in the country.”
“Providing more access to high-quality, affordable early education and care will be good for kids and good for family budgets.”
But the Liberals aren’t convinced.
“Labor continue to take Tasmanians for fools, with their new childcare commitment nothing more than another cruel hoax,” Minister for Education, Children and Youth Roger Jaensch said.
“This is contempt of the mums and dads of Tasmania in the extreme. The approximate cost of building a new early learning child centre is $8 million, meaning Labor’s allocation would be lucky to build even a tin shed, let alone 30 new childhood learning centres.”
“The actual cost of Labor’s latest hoax is more like $320 million – plus the cost of actually staffing and operating them.”
