That ICPA (Aust) advocates to the Australian Government for equitable and affordable access to the In-Home Care (IHC) program for rural, regional and remote families who cannot reasonably access centre-based childcare services.
Many geographically isolated families rely on In-Home Care due to the absence of accessible childcare centres, workforce shortages, distance and the operational requirements of agricultural and remote employment.
However, the current In-Home Care system often results in significantly higher out-of-pocket costs for rural and remote families compared to metropolitan families accessing centre-based childcare services.
These inequities create substantial barriers to:
• workforce participation,
• family wellbeing,
• farm and business operations,
• and access to early childhood support services.
ICPA (Aust) believes families living in geographically isolated areas should have equitable access to childcare support regardless of location.
ICPA (Aust) further advocates for:
• greater transparency in provider fee structures,
• equitable subsidy outcomes between metropolitan and isolated families,
• improved workforce attraction measures for remote educators,
• and recognition of the additional accommodation and operational costs borne by remote families.
