‘Child care desert’: New report reveals Kimberley one of the worst regions for early-learning availability

More than half of West Australians are living in a “child care desert”, a new landmark report from Victoria University released last week has revealed. In the Kimberley alone there are about five children vying for every one spot available in child-care, leaving 92.6 per cent of parents in the Kimberley without sufficient access to child care. It has also shown that 89 per cent of regional WA is facing a critical shortage of child care with between three and seven children needing a place for every one available. Victoria University’s Dr Peter Hurley and lead author of the Mitchell Institute report said the research showed providers were not only establishing services where there was greater demand, but where they were likely to make greater profits. “For many regional towns, Australia’s policy approach to early learning results in a complete absence of provision, especially for towns with a population of less than 1500 people,” he said. “These are not thin markets but rather an absence of a market as the current policy settings mean it is not viable for providers to offer childcare.” Dr Hurley said his research suggests there is an incentive for providers to open in wealthier areas where families can afford to pay higher fees. “Unlike schools, the early learning sector is made up of for-profit businesses and not-for-profit providers,” he said. The report, the first of its kind in Australia, analysed child care service availability in every neighbourhood in Australia and compared them to the socio-economic status of communities and female workforce participation. WA was the worst in the country for child care availability with 68 per cent of the population living in areas with a shortage of child care places, in comparison to the Eastern States where 65 to 78 per cent of people lived in areas with good child care availability. Unsurprisingly, there were more women in the workplace with children under five in areas where child care services were more readily available, according to the report. Dr Hurley said access to child care made economic sense by boosting workforce participation for women, helping families and employers.