That ICPA (Aust) advocate to the Minister for Social Services and the Minister for Early Childhood and the relevant departments for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services, to consider the unique needs of rural and remote families when it comes to the eligibility criteria for funding and benefits such as the Child Care Subsidy (CCS).
In South Australia, the Remote and Isolated Children’s Exercise (RICE) provides an Outback Childcare program that enables families to receive short-term childcare in the family home when they are in need of childcare during busy times or if they need respite or emergency care. Currently, this program does not attract any government support or funding, resulting in RICE having to rely on community donations or asking families to pay an unsubsidised full-rate hourly fee for the service. The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) can only be received when a child is enrolled through a centre-based childcare facility or through the In Home Care (IHC) scheme. However, these schemes do not meet the needs of all remote families, as many are unable to support full-time in-home care. The temporary nature of the RICE Outback Childcare program is appealing to many families, as it allows them to plan care during the times of the year they need it most, without the burden of housing a full-time carer.
The cost of accessing childcare without the CCS is an unaffordable option, leaving families to try to find other ways to manage childcare needs. Families living in rural and remote areas have no real option of childcare like community creches, nearby centres, or extended informal support networks. Living on a remote cattle station 1,000 km from Adelaide makes relying on informal support networks for childcare impractical and often impossible.
A recent report indicated that the Federal Electorate of Grey (which encompasses 90% of South Australia, including all of its rural and remote areas) has the worst access to childcare in the country. The Outback Childcare service needs to be made affordable for families, as well as viable for RICE to manage and administer.
If the eligibility criteria for the CCS were to consider the needs of rural and remote families, allowing them to access childcare through the Outback Childcare program or similar.
