A re-elected majority Liberal Government will work with the Early Childhood Education and Care sector to address constraints to the growth of quality childcare in Tasmania, including workforce development, access to allied health services and land availability as part of its 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s future.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said that education, especially in the first 1,000 days, is the most powerful driver for improving economic and social outcomes in Tasmania, including health, life expectancy, happiness and productivity.

“We understand the importance of access to quality early childhood education and care for working Tasmanian families and that workforce is a critical factor in growing these services,” Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.

“Over the next four years, we will work with the sector to grow and upskill the ECEC workforce through a $5 million Early Years Workforce Development Fund, with the investment to go to more than 500 workers."

The fund will deliver:

• 200 scholarships of between $15,000 (Diploma & CERT III) and $30,000 (Bachelors & Masters ) for education and care qualifications, and to work with a Tasmanian ECEC service for two years;
• $500,000 to fund 20 additional scholarships for speech pathologists and psychologists;
• Settling incentive of $2,500 for ECEC staff to relocate to locations including Flinders and King Islands and the West Coast; and
• Retention incentives of a $2,500 bonus every year for between 4-6 years for staff in rural, isolated or hard to staff areas.

CFLCs are purpose-built facilities where children 0-5 years of age and their parents and carers can access free support services and activities that assist them with the challenges of parenting and early childhood development, including free access to psychologists, speech pathologists and social workers.

There are currently 15 CFLCs operating in Tasmania, with three more under construction. The four new centres will bring the total to 22 state-wide.

The four new centres will also be built to meet the National Quality Standards for Early Childhood Education and Care so they can partner with providers to deliver early education, long day care and vacation care where there is unmet demand for these services.

A majority Liberal Government will also make $10 million available to support primary and district schools to undertake capital works to support new or expanded onsite Out of School Hours Care services in partnership with local ECEC providers, and will identify government-owned land suitable for development of new ECEC facilities.

Minister Jaensch said the Liberals value the important work being undertaken by Early Childhood Australia’s Tasmanian branch and the ongoing partnership on strategic issues, including workforce development.

“A re-elected majority Liberal Government will provide ECA 'sTasmanian branch with $890,000 over three years to employ two project officers to assist with policy development and community partnerships,” he said.

“We will also establish an Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce Round Table, involving ECA and ECEC providers, to focus on growing the workforce in this sector quickly and sustainably and ensuring strong collaboration and communication between government and the sector.”

These initiatives will complement the existing Working Together program, which offers free quality early learning to 220 eligible 3 year olds at 43 locations across the State, and the Early Learning for 3 Year Olds initiative.

Total cost: $48 million ($42 million capital and $6 million recurrent).