Hay Mobile Children's Service

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON (Burrinjuck) [12.26 p.m.]: I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that the Hay Mobile Children’s Service offers a valuable range of childcare services within 250 kilometres of Hay and that its staff travel about 15,000 kilometres each month;

(2) notes with concern that Government funding for this service is inadequate to meet the increased costs of fuel and wages;

(3) notes its concern that many of the more than 20 mobile children’s services in New South Wales are in a similar precarious financial situation because of inadequate funding by the Government; and

(4) calls on the Government to urgently change the funding formula for mobile children’s services in New South Wales to allow them to continue to provide these important services to isolated residents in rural New South Wales.

I gave notice of this motion on 9 May 2007, but it has taken 10 months for it to be called on for debate. Often motions are resolved or become irrelevant after such a lengthy period and quite often there can be some change in the circumstances that prompted the motion in the first place. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the Hay Mobile Children's Service. In the very week that I was appointed to my position as the shadow Minister for Community Services the first person who met with me was John Williams, who was then the new member for Murray-Darling, and an extremely good and hardworking local member he has proven to be. The member for Murray-Darling first brought the plight of the Hay Mobile Children's Service to my attention at that time.

The service has been running for approximately 25 years. It provides a very flexible, responsive and innovative service for children and families in the Hay district. These families, as members can imagine, experience significant social, geographical, cultural and economic isolation because of the distance they live from populated areas. The extended drought, after seven long years, still has this area very firmly in its grip, which makes the service even more difficult to operate, but even more important for the children to whom it provides a service. Last year the member for Murray-Darling circulated a petition calling on the New South Wales Government to intervene to help the Hay Mobile Children's Service and on 26 September last year he presented the petition, which contained 117 signatures, to the New South Wales Parliament. I congratulate the member for Murray-Darling on his ever-enthusiastic vigour in representing his constituents, which he does so well.

Staff of the Hay Mobile Children's Service travel long distances to provide programs within a 250-kilometre radius. That is more than 196,000 square kilometres. It is nearly four times the size of my sizeable electorate of Burrinjuck and it is larger than the entire country of Syria. It is an immense area. Within this area the three full-time and two part-time staff provide services to about 180 children. Most of these children live on properties where there are only three or four children at any one time. Amongst the other areas, the villages of Goolgowi, Booligal and Carrathool also benefit from the service's visits. The service enjoys wide community support.

Last year a fabulous group of ladies from the Hay Plains put together a good old-fashioned cookbook to raise funds for local preschools, including the Hay Mobile Children's Service, and I commend them for that thoughtful, wonderful fundraiser. But it is the direct responsibility of the New South Wales Government to provide sufficient funding for this service. Last year the service received $196,000 in funding from the Department of Community Services. The year before it received $186,000. The service has not yet been told how much it will receive this year, but Department of Community Services staff have informed the service that there will be no real increase.

This is in line with the 2007-08 budget, which provided only a 2.7 per cent increase in funding for children's services in the non-government sector, which is only just keeping funding in line with inflation. However, I am sure that all members realise that many costs have escalated significantly above the rate of inflation. Officers from that service have to travel long distances. As I said earlier, programs are offered within a radius of 250 kilometres from Hay, which is a long way. The service is particularly vulnerable to increases in employment costs. Members of staff spend a long time travelling and they are not providing a paid service. However, the biggest problem facing the service is the increasing cost of fuel.

Over the past few years fuel costs for the service have more than doubled and funding from the Department of Community Services has done little more than keep pace with consumer price index increases. The Minister for Community Services might think that the cost of diesel in the Georges River electorate is high when he does 10,000 kilometres a year driving around the city in his lovely shiny white ministerial car. The member for Murray-Darling just informed me that the cost of diesel in Hay is about $1.80 to $1.90 a litre. Imagine servicing nearly 200,000 square kilometres when diesel costs are that high! I do not know how members of the service will continue to be able to afford to travel the distances that they have to travel. They have been hit with a real double whammy: longer distances and higher costs per kilometre for travel.

These are fundamental truths that the New South Wales Labor Government is either unable or unwilling to grasp. The Minister still refuses to provide any additional recurrent funding for the service. Last year's provisional budget outcome for the service, which has not yet been approved for the committee, shows that the service made a $1,600 profit for the year. At first glance that looks pretty good but when allocations for staff costs such as long service leave and other staff-related items are made the service will probably end up about $6,400 in debt. Again, these additional staffing costs have not been accounted for in the funding provided by the State Labor Government and a deficit has occurred despite the preschool significantly cutting costs, fundraising extensively and doubling its fees.

Despite all these factors it will still struggle to provide these important services—all this in an area where drought is impacting heavily on rural incomes. The financial position of the service would be much worse if it were not for the generosity of many people—an issue that I will deal with later if I have time. Last year there was a significant amount of adverse media attention about the failure of the Iemma Labor Government to provide adequate funding to the Hay Mobile Children's Service. Following representations by The Nationals member for Murray-Darling, the member for Murrumbidgee and me as shadow Minister for Community Services the Department of Community Services provided an additional $8,300 to the service, which was welcome. This funding was not to assist with the additional costs being incurred by the service; rather, it was to undertake the development of a business plan.

While that has been a useful exercise, it confirms the original contention that the New South Wales Labor Government grossly under-funds the Hay Mobile Children's Service. This year the Hay Mobile Children's Service is facing a deficit of about $30,000. The committee is currently facing a hard decision as to whether it will have to reduce the number of paid staff—an option of last resort. Reductions in staff invariably will lead to a reduction in the services that can be provided. But the real victims of this State Labor Government's intransigence will be the children on remote properties who will lose access to important services because of inadequate funding. I said earlier that the financial position of the service would be much worse if it were not for the generosity of many people.

Last year Alan Jones interviewed Alison McLean, President of Mobile Children's Service, on Sydney radio. In response to the interview the service received donations totalling $18,300, mainly from the very generous people of Sydney—their generosity is quite overwhelming. Perhaps they were ashamed of the failure of the Iemma Labor Government to accept its responsibility to provide sufficient funding, or perhaps it is just another example of the generous spirit of many Australians—a spirit that, unfortunately, is lacking in the New South Wales Labor Government. Mrs Gard of Dee Why sent a cheque to the service and attached a note that states:

From a Grandma, I help my grandchildren, so this is to help the families in the outback, my love and best wishes to all.

Mrs Hodgson from Strathfield sent in a cheque and said that she hoped it would help the Hay Mobile Children's Service. One particular moving letter was received from Mrs Sylvander of Quakers Hill. The letter is written in old-style script and the writing is very shaky, so Mrs Sylvander must either be very elderly or ill. She wrote:

Dear Allie

Please find cheque to supplement your funds for the children's service.

My husband's grandfather immigrated from Finland and settled in Hay. So I am sending this cheque in memory of him. He built quite a few buildings in Hay one of which was the Bishops Lodge. His name was Victor Berndt Sylvander.

I wish you luck in your fundraising effort and my thoughts are with you.

Mr and Mrs Bennett of Kingsgrove wrote:

We were so impressed to hear of the wonderful work that you are all doing for our country children.

We wish you continued success with your endeavours.

Mr and Mrs Findlay of Gosford wrote:

This morning I caught the tail end of a discussion on radio 2GB. I tried to scribble down the particulars but think I got them mixed up in the effort.

Never mind, I have lived in a small town like Booligal so I know how things work and I am sure this letter will get to the right person.

It occurs to me that the need of ongoing assistance will be essential until this dreadful drought is over.

Best wishes to all at Booligal—we will watch the weather charts with lots of prayer.

Apart from their cheque, Mr and Mrs Fisher also very generously offered to help pay the postage costs associated with further fundraising efforts. It was not just private individuals that chipped in. Hunter Grain Pty Limited was established in 1975 as a small domestic trading company in the Upper Hunter Valley region. That company has been awarded regional and national quarantine awards for its contribution to the quarantine protection of Australia's agricultural industries and unique environment. Hunter Grain also contributed $500,000 to the Hay Mobile Children's Service. On behalf of that service I thank all the very generous people of Sydney and its surrounds and all the other organisations that did what the Iemma Labor Government failed to do.

Mr BARRY COLLIER (Miranda—Parliamentary Secretary) [12.35 p.m.]: The Department of Community Services [DOCS] is aware of the challenges faced by community-based children's services across the State. Unlike the Opposition, the Government is committed to an accessible, affordable, sustainable, community-based children's services sector and recognises the importance of investing in early childhood education. The preschool investment and reform plan announced in the 2006-07 budget will strengthen the community-based preschool sector in New South Wales and result in community-based preschools across New South Wales receiving more than $85 million over four years.

Our preschool plan will deliver access to a universal year of preschool before school for every family that wants one. It will mean that every child will have access to a quality, age-appropriate preschool program for two days a week in the year before he or she starts school. Half of all community-based preschools in New South Wales already receive more than $8.3 million in emergency funding, with 70 per cent going to rural and regional New South Wales. This Government has provided $17.6 million in viability funding to 539 preschools to make them more sustainable in the long term and to improve access and affordability for hardworking families.

The growth phase of the plan will provide an additional $29.8 million per annum from 2008-09 to provide preschool opportunities to an extra 10,500 children in the year prior to school. The investment will bring levels of attendance at preschool programs in New South Wales to 95 per cent, in line with other Australian States and Territories. This funding is being used both as a contribution to setting existing preschools on a more sustainable footing and to improve access and affordability for families. This is a further significant contribution to improving access and affordability, especially for disadvantaged families. In the specific case of the Hay Mobile Children's Service, I have been advised that it did not apply for funding under the reform plan because it mistakenly thought that mobile services were not eligible.

In recognition of the difficulties confronting the service the Government provided Hay Mobile Children's Service with one-off funding of $8,300 to meet its funding needs. The Hay Mobile Children's Service receives a total of $193,693 in recurrent funding for two separate projects under the children's services program. The Hay Mobile Resource Unit Project received $97,758 in recurrent funding and the Hay Mobile Farm-Based Occasional Care Project received $95,935 in recurrent funding. That is not all that this Government is doing; it has also taken steps to assist the Hay mobile service to examine its service operations to undertake business analysis and develop plans to take the service forward into the future.

To illustrate, in late 2007 Hay Mobile Children's Service received guided and intensive service analysis and business development support under the reform program. This has resulted in Hay Mobile Children's Service implementing a range of measures to help address the viability issues it has previously faced. I assure the House that over the coming months our regional staff will continue working with the Hay Mobile Children's Service to help it resolve its future financial difficulties. Quite clearly, the Government agrees with the first paragraph of the motion moved by the member for Burrinjuck and it joins the member in commending the staff of the Hay Mobile Children's Service for the valuable work it does in the community. However, the Government opposes paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) of the member's motion.

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS (Murray-Darling) [12.39 p.m.]: I compliment the shadow Minister for Community Services, the member for Burrinjuck, for her assistance in supporting me with the Hay Mobile Children's Service. I draw the attention of this House and the Minister for Community Services to the unfeeling and unfair funding regime that has been applied to a vital service provider to socially, geographically, culturally and economically isolated children and their families. The Mobile Children's Services Association of New South Wales Incorporated provides flexible, responsive and innovative educational services where they are unavailable from any other provider. Operating from bases including Hay, Broken Hill, Moree, Inverell, Eden, Toronto and Marrickville, the mobile services outreach into isolated communities providing on-farm care, remote area play sessions, early intervention, toy libraries, occasional care and community development.

The Hay Mobile Children's Service provides services to families over a region that includes the Hay, Conargo, Murrumbidgee, Central Darling and Carrathool shire council areas. At villages such as Booligal, Pretty Pine, Goolgowi and Carrathool this visiting service provides farm-based care, venue-based care, playgroup sessions and a mobile toy library. Last calendar year the service's expenses totalled $258,000 but Department of Community Services funding left it $32,000 short in meeting its operating costs. As a result, the voluntary committee was forced to fundraise to meet that shortfall in order to keep the service running to provide respite for families and enjoyment for children.

Despite that effort, the Hay mobile service had to reduce its hours of paid casual employment and coverage area. Those cuts severely affected the more remote areas—those areas that have the least access to other service providers. It is unacceptable that a voluntary committee in a drought-affected community should be forced to repeat that fundraising effort annually. If the Department of Community Services does not increase funding levels in line with operating costs the voluntary committee will be forced to continue to fundraise to keep the mobile service. Having operated for more than 25 years, the Hay Mobile Children's Service has changed its program in line with changing community needs. It introduced a farm-based care about 10 years ago, allowing farming wives and mothers to help out on the family property while their children were well looked after and entertained by qualified carers. Those services are now at greater risk due to the increasing salary and fuel costs that have not been matched by increases in State Government funding.

Venue-based care provides some children with their only regular contact with others of their own age. Some children whose families have been severely affected by the ongoing drought have access to toys and learning opportunities that they otherwise would not have. In conjunction with the shadow Minister for Community Services, last May I circulated a petition in an effort to relieve the funding crisis the Hay Mobile Children's Service was experiencing. That petition was tabled in this House on 26 September last year. The Outback Mobile Resource Unit Incorporated is a similar operation based in Broken Hill. It provides both child care and playgroup sessions to children and families in the remote and isolated regions of far western New South Wales. It travels to towns, communities and properties in areas surrounding Pooncarie, Palinyewah, Wilcannia, White Cliffs, Wentworth and Tibooburra offering activities aimed at enhancing children's learning and social skills, and providing support and resources to parents.

The program covers all aspects of a child's development, including gross and fine motor skills, cognitive ability, language and self-help. The service provides activities that teach these skills in a fun and interesting way through Play-Doh, craft, painting, sports, dress-ups, dolls, puzzles, games and many other activities. The area it covers is approximately 220,000 square kilometres—bounded by the South Australian, Queensland and Victorian borders. The unit's staff travel approximately 43,000 kilometres each year. The service is funded federally through the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services but it is regulated by the New South Wales Department of Community Services. In October last year the Outback Mobile Resource Unit received a very generous 20 per cent increase in annual funding from the Federal Government. In essence, this amounts to about $40,000 a year. This increase in Federal Government funding provided to the Broken Hill service needs to be matched by the State Government to allow the Hay service to provide a much-needed program.

Mr KEVIN HUMPHRIES (Barwon) [12.44 p.m.]: I support the member for Burrinjuck and shadow Minister for Community Services regarding the Hay Mobile Children's Service and the difficulties many of our mobile services face. For the Government's information, a report was published at the end of 2005-06 entitled "A Hole in the Bucket". The report was all about preschools and the difficulty they were facing. Just as the member for Murray-Darling and the member for Burrinjuck highlighted the difficulty faced by the Hay Mobile Children's Service, I too have corresponded with the Moree mobile preschools service. The service also is affected significantly by the current State Labor Government funding arrangements, which clearly are out of step with the expectations and needs of our community.

The Moree service is 30 years old and is one of the oldest mobile preschools in the State. Its funding has been frozen for the last 16 years. The chief manager of the service, Wendy Baldwin, her four staff members—Dimity Boydell, Jolene Doran, Jodie Cartwright and Cath Ridley—and parents supply the service every four to five days into a 1,000 kilometre area covering Moree, Bellata, Garah, Boomi up over to the Queensland border, Croppa Creek, Bellara, Mallowa and Pallamallawa to the east. The member for Murray-Darling spoke about drought-affected communities. In 2007 over a period of six weeks the Moree mobile service student numbers dropped from 120 to 60 when the community experienced the worst of the drought. Many of the families are yet to return to using the mobile service. In the meantime the services and funding have been cut and the fact there has been no improvement for 16 years is an indictment of the New South Wales Government.

New South Wales has the lowest access to and representation of community preschools and mobile preschools in the country and the highest fees for parents of children attending community-based preschools and mobile preschools. As happens in Hay, the parents in Moree constantly have to fundraise for the preschools. Our community calls it survival funding. Each venue that I listed earlier is forced to raise at least $1,500 per venue as well as charging $17 per day per child to access the mobile preschool service. Just an hour north of Moree in Queensland children can attend a mobile preschool service for $2 per day. Queensland families are not forced to fundraise to the extent families in New South Wales, particularly in western New South Wales, are forced to endure. The present situation is totally unacceptable and out of whack. It certainly has nothing to do with the State Plan: if the State Plan were to create access for parents and children into basic education and preschool education there would be a plan.

Leading into the last State election the Opposition had a comprehensive preschool plans involving equitable access, particularly for people in remote and disadvantaged areas, and it was backed by capital funding. I look forward to the next election, when the Opposition will make sure that the people of New South Wales, particularly those who live in western New South Wales, are well aware of the inadequate access to education for preschoolers. Last year the Department of Community Services announced emergency funding and the Government called that the Preschool Investment and Reform Plan. However, I am advised that there was no money associated with the plan and that the announcement was all spin. The Government is lurching from crisis to crisis. The mobile preschool service operates on the goodwill of parents throughout western New South Wales, but they are worn out. The Government's reliance on intergenerational goodwill is not good enough. For that reason alone the motion moved by the member for Burrinjuck should be supported.

Mr DARYL MAGUIRE (Wagga Wagga) [12.49 p.m.]: I congratulate the member for Burrinjuck and shadow Minister for Community Services on moving this important motion. I also congratulate the hardworking member for Murray-Darling, who is making a great impression on his electorate by bringing important issues to the attention of the shadow Minister and by speaking so enthusiastically and passionately on behalf of his community. Previously I have stated in the House that education is the greatest gift a child can be given. Part of the education process is early childhood learning, which involves preschools, teaching children to socialise, and providing children with skills to integrate into a school environment. Preschool and early childhood learning services are integral to a child's path through education.

It distresses me having to draw attention time and again to the inadequate funding that is being provided for important services. The Opposition has to fight hard for services when the Minister should be making funds available in recognition of their importance. I note that there have been only minimal increases in funding for early childhood mobile services. The increases are flat out keeping pace with inflation. The recent Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal [PRT] report that I assisted to compile shows that inflation is running at 4 per cent but the fuel component amounts to approximately 14.7 per cent. Comments made by the member for Burrinjuck relating to the enormous cost increases associated with the early childhood mobile service are absolutely true.

My primary reason for taking an interest in this matter is that I believe education is the way to a great future for children. Children need skills and need to be socialised before entering a formal education environment. My electorate uses mobile services, and we have had to fight hard to get them. At Cullen Gully, a service was available but then withdrawn, and funding was desperately needed. Through community action and petitioning, the funds were raised and the service is operating. With the help of Julia Ham of Tumbarumba, whom I regard as one of the most knowledgeable and passionate advocates for early childhood education, over a period of approximately three years we eventually raised the funds.

However, early childhood services, once established, need a continued commitment from the Government to provide more funding apart from meeting the basic Consumer Price Index or Social and Community Services Employees [SACS] award increases. Although the Parliamentary Secretary might suggest that there are programs to assist services to meet challenges, the services run on a shoestring and rely on voluntary contributions. People throughout New South Wales who listen to radio programs heard that the Hay mobile service was in difficulties and sent donations to ensure its continued operation, even in the face of terrible drought conditions—and, worse still, a Government that has lost its connection with the people of regional and rural New South Wales and their problems.

The other reason I am interest in this matter is that I was born in Hay on 25 March 1959 and I have a very strong connection with the community. At the time I was born the hospital at Ivanhoe had burned down, but once again the community put their shoulders to the wheel, so to speak, to raise funds and rebuild it. I have strong attachments to the Hay community, so I am pleased to participate in this debate and support the hardworking member for Murray-Darling and the member for Burrinjuck, who previously represented the area I represent and is regarded highly. She has a great reputation and I recognise that I have large boots to fill. I am pleased to give her credit for her hard work.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON (Burrinjuck) [12.54 p.m.], in reply: I thank all members who contributed to this very important debate—the member for Murray-Darling, the member for Barwon, the member for Wagga Wagga and the member for Miranda—and note that the only contribution to the debate from the Government was made by the member for Miranda, who is a city-based member of Parliament with dubious knowledge of the topic. The speeches made by members who represent rural electorates reflected great credit on the motion before the House. I am disappointed that the member for Miranda said that the Government will continue to fail to recognise that funding for these extremely important services is inadequate.

Mr Barry Collier: Point of order: I have never said that the Government has failed. The member for Burrinjuck is misleading the House. I did not say anything about failing. The member for Burrinjuck should at least repeat what I have said accurately.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Wayne Merton): Order! At this stage, I will allow the member for Burrinjuck to continue and I will observe her comments. The member for Miranda will have an opportunity to pursue this matter at a later stage if he wishes to do so.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: The member for Miranda said that the Government will not be supporting parts (2), (3) and (4) of the motion, which means that the Government is failing to recognise—

Mr Barry Collier: That is your interpretation.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: I point out to the member for Miranda that that is the wording of the motion. The funding provided by the Government is inadequate to meet the increased cost of fuel and wages. The Government has failed to recognise that the cost of diesel has increased whereas the funding provided for such valuable services has not increased in line with vehicular cost increases. It is crazy that the Government fails to recognise those facts. The people involved in the provision of early childhood services have an area of 200,000 square kilometres to service. The children for whom the service is provided are from very isolated areas. As a person who has grown up on a farm, I assure the Government that it is a very humbling experience when a child does not have new toys to play with or friends.

Mr Thomas George: With nobody for them to play with, it is very sad.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: Yes, it is very tough on kids who are from areas even farther west than where I come from. I assure the House it is Coalition policy to do whatever is possible to provide children in rural and remote areas with a good early education. That is where the Coalition is coming from. The member for Wagga Wagga mentioned the importance of social interaction, and I compliment him for recognising that factor. Socialising for children who grow up in very isolated areas is extremely important if not critical for their normal development in teenage, adolescent and adult years. The member for Murray-Darling emphasised that the mobile children's service in his electorate is essential: otherwise, where else would early learners and preschool age children obtain access to toys, books or games in Murray-Darling?

The member for Barwon referred to the inequity of cross-border anomalies faced by parents of preschool children in accessing an affordable level of care for preschoolers, including the mobile children's service, and how cheap those services are in Queensland, which is just one hour by car north of the member's home town of Moree. Queensland is contiguous with the Barwon electorate, so people who live very close to the border must feel the inequities very keenly because, if they were living in Queensland, they would have much cheaper access to services. Those people are left with the conundrum of deciding whether they will fork out extra money to access a service in New South Wales, or move the children to a place where the services are cheaper. Or will the children miss out entirely?

All members contributed broadly to this debate. However, it is important to recognise that all the numerous mobile children's services do a fantastic job—whether they are located in Moree, Inverell, Hay or elsewhere. The services desperately deserve and need increased recurrent funding from the Iemma Labor Government. This year's report on government services shows again that the State Government is failing to fund preschool services at a level similar to that throughout Australia. In 2006-07 the median expenditure on children's services for a child aged 0 to 12 in New South Wales was $140.19, which was $50 lower than the Australian average and the lowest in Australia. The report revealed also that the highest median preschool fee in Australia was in New South Wales, at $40 a week. This is a pressing and important issue, and I encourage Government members to support this very important motion. [Time expired.]

Mr Barry Collier: I request that the motion be put as two separate questions: first, paragraph (1); and, second, paragraphs (2), (3) and (4).

Ms Katrina Hodgkinson: The Coalition recognises that that is in accordance with Standing Order 148.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Wayne Merton): Order! Standing Order 148 allows the Parliamentary Secretary to ask that the paragraphs of the motion be put as separate questions.

Question—That paragraph (1) be agreed to—put and resolved in the affirmative.

Paragraph (1) agreed to.

Question—That paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) be agreed to—put.

The House divided.

Question resolved in the negative.

Paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) negatived.

Motion as amended agreed to.