KIDS are the victims of a silly stand-off between government ministers, writes PETER HUNT
Country children are the innocent victims of an absurd political stand-off between Victorian Coalition Minister for Children Wendy Lovell and her federal Labor counterpart Kate Ellis.
The ministers are disputing who should cough up $1.9 million towards funding Take-A-Break occasional childcare.
At stake is the access of 9000 children to 220 occasional childcare centres, including 99 in regional Victoria.
The Federal Government cut funding to the service in its 2010 Budget. At the time, the former Victorian Labor Government stepped in to fund occasional childcare.
Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and NSW governments did the same - and continue to do so.
But the current Victorian Government decided to take a "stand" on the issue in formulating its 2011 Budget.
It is a silly decision, given the impact and anger it has created in crucial regional Victorian electorates.
Smart politicians choose their battles carefully.
Not so Wendy Lovell, who jumped in the ring, rolled up her sleeves and started swinging at an indifferent Kate Ellis.
Ms Lovell even got her local federal colleague Sharman Stone to throw a few punches.
Ms Ellis has argued other states have just got on with the job and said the loss of funding was more than offset by the Federal Government's delivery of $210 million in kindergarten funding to Victoria.
Worried mothers have been beating a path to Ms Lovell's Shepparton electorate office demanding to know why the Government has abandoned them.
Ms Lovell has pointed towards Canberra and declared childcare was not the State Government's responsibility and the state did not have a spare $1.9 million due to a "tight" Budget.
This is the same Budget that allocated:
$13.5 million to clean up graffiti over the next four years.
$2 million to boost the prize pool for jumps racing as part of a $79.5 million racing package.
$1 million towards a design competition for Flinders St Station.
$2 million to re-open a railway crossing in deputy Liberal leader Louise Asher's electorate, which was ranked 223 in a government assessment of crossings needing a safety upgrade.
$1 million to encourage people to adopt retired greyhounds.
Country Victorians could be forgiven for wondering why ageing greyhounds are a higher priority than children.
Too often state and federal governments launch valuable programs, create community expectations and then pull the financial pin.
It's often local government ratepayers who are then expected to cover the shortfall.
That's not going to happen this time around, with many Take-A-Break services announcing they will soon come to an end.
The funding is due to run out by the end of December.
But many centres are warning they will have to close next month as they use what remains of their funding to pay out staff entitlements.
In the end, it's not just rural families and mothers who will miss out as a result of this senseless fight, although parents will lose the opportunity of having a few child-free hours each week to do the bookkeeping or help out with livestock.
What really matters is the lost opportunity for many isolated country kids to socialise with others of their age and form bonds that will sometimes last a lifetime.
That loss is worth far more than $1.9 million.
- Peter Hunt is The Weekly Times' state political reporter
