2025-06-03
This op-ed was published in Stock and Land and The Weekly Times in April 2025.
From the orchards of my family’s farm in western Victoria, I learned the values of hard work and community. Running a farm while raising a family has never been easy – today, it’s harder.
Now, as a working mum myself, I’ve traded red soil for the red benches of the Australian Senate, but I still know the juggle that so many rural families face – trying to earn a living, care for our kids, and keep our communities strong.
But for too many families, the biggest challenge isn’t just the rising cost of childcare – it’s that there’s no childcare available at all. A 2024 study by Victoria University found that nearly one in four Australians live in a childcare desert – areas where more than three children are vying for every available place. In rural and remote areas, the numbers can be even worse.
This is a national crisis. Leaving early learning to the market has failed. Parents, especially women, are locked out of work. On farms, that means lost productivity, fewer hands at harvest, and more pressure on already-stretched households.
This isn’t just a family issue – it’s economic. The Australia Institute estimates that fixing early childhood education could boost the economy by $168 billion.
The government has made some steps, scrapping the punitive activity test and announcing more funding for new centres. But the “three-day guarantee” means little to families if their local services have closed or have years-long waitlists.
Early education is essential infrastructure. Like roads and schools, it’s what keeps our communities strong. We need urgent investment to expand services in rural and remote areas. We need public funding for not-for-profit providers – those that consistently deliver high-quality care. And we need support for educators.
This isn’t just about fixing a broken system; it’s about investing in the future. If we want young families to stay on the land, grow our food, and build vibrant communities, we need to give them the support they need from day one.
Researchers tell us that 90% of a child’s brain development occurs before five. Last week, a report by the Mitchell Institute found that even the first three years of learning are crucial at ‘levelling the playing field,’ especially for disadvantaged kids.
We cannot keep leaving this critical window of development to a postcode lottery.
This election, in what’s likely to be a minority Parliament, the Greens will push for free, universal childcare – just like primary and secondary school.
Our kids, our farms, and our future depend on it.