By Olivia Condous
More than a third of Australians live in a “childcare desert”, with many Victorian localities such as Rockbank, Ballan and Bacchus Marsh being identified as areas of concern, according to a new study from Victoria University.
The study found that outer metropolitan and regional areas were the most affected by lack of access to childcare, with around 1.1 million Australians living in areas with no childcare available.
Ballan was identified as a particular area of concern, with there being 6 children per available childcare space in the area.
Ballan resident of seven years Jackie Halton said her daughter was placed on a 6 month waiting list for a childcare spot in 2016, but decided to take her to a centre in Bacchus Marsh to avoid the wait.
Ms Halton said she was frustrated by the government not prioritising childcare for families with both parents in full time work.
“My daughter has now been to three child care centers and I’ve seen a lot of children in care for parents that don’t work, which takes up spaces for working families,” she said.
Mother of two and office manager Abby Kollmorgen moved to the Ballan area from Bacchus Marsh in March of last year, but was unable to find a service that could accommodate care on her regular working days.
“Australian families are moving further out to get space but still require the necessities, they should be providing the childcare workers a higher wage and more of a subsidy to families to ease financial strains,” Ms Kollmorgen said.
Moorabool councilor Paul Tatchell said the government needed to prioritise growth areas such as Ballan more “user friendly” from an economic development perspective and assist new businesses in developing more facilities and services.
Cr Tatchell said planning had been in progress since July last year for a new childcare centre on Stead St in Ballan.
“It’s been a long time coming, what frustrates me is it gets caught up in bureaucracy and things like this that are urgent or in desperate need are held up unnecessarily,” he said.
