The challenge of finding child care helpers and teachers in outback Australia is becoming even tougher for isolated farming families struggling to recruit and pay for full-time workers.
New qualification standards introduced as part of the federal government’s revamped child care subsidy system have stirred up widespread frustration within the Isolated Children’s Parents Association (ICPA).
Although 3000 In Home Care places will be available, concerns about the practicality of finding people with early childhood learning certificate qualifications have been further compounded by “teething problems” with new payment arrangements, and fast rising fees from service providers responsible for allocating staff to remote properties.
Parents receiving (means tested) subsidies to employ helpers or tutors for their pre-school and primary school aged children must now ensure recruits hold, or are transitioning to, a Certificate III qualification in early childhood learning.
Gap year workers hit
Although some child carers may have longer term carer job plans, much of the pre-school and after school hours assistance provided on remote properties is done by recent high school leavers spending a gap year in the district, many of whom are not looking to a career in education or child care.
Backpackers or other outback workers also provide important assistance for child support work or tutoring.
It’s very hard to get the right people to take on these jobs in such remote areas in the first place.
- Jane Morton, ICPA federal council
Like young gap year workers, they help busy mothers juggling tuition roles in the school room with bookkeeping and household jobs, or outside tasks ranging from mustering to meeting the mail plane.
“But, it’s very hard to get the right people to take on these jobs in such remote areas in the first place,” said ICPA federal early childhood portfolio leader, Jane Morton, who had plenty of first hand experience raising and educating her own two children on the Birdsville Track.
“It can be quite challenging for somebody employed to help – they effectively become part of the family, and their life is what happens on the station.”
The tighter government subsidy rules meant those already working would need to take time off to qualify for their jobs, unless they had 15 years prior child care experience.
“It’s also a blow for gap year students who’ve used this sort of work as a chance to save some money before going off to university,” Mrs Morton said.
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Remote community childcare centres are concerned, too, worried about their survival if they can’t meet new qualification requirements for chances of recruiting qualified educators or aids.
A raft of urgent motions passed at last week’s Canberra federal ICPA conference highlighted the practical difficulties facing remote families trying to ensure their children start school with a strong learning foundation, or get a decent schooling via distance education.
Calls for the federal government to revise the In Home Care guidelines and address confusion about financial changes came thick and fast from parents from Alice Springs to Wentworth and Louth in NSW and Clermont, Blackall, and Belyando-Mr CoolonAlpha branches in Queensland.
Wentworth delegates noted the NSW Government had already acknowledged the stress the federal qualification requirements were putting on families.
Job suitability challenge
“It’s increasingly difficult to find a suitable governess to employ in a remote location and not unusual to go through several before finding somebody suitable,” said Nerida Healy, Court Nareen Station, Pooncarie.
“Many turn up to realise they are not suited to the job or challenging environment.”
Some people find the process so daunting they don’t apply – there are currently families without educators
- Sarah Cook, Alice Springs
Alice Springs delegates were angry the wait to get approved for receive an In Home Care subsidy could be up to two years.
If the right applicants were not then recruited in time (which happened often) families had to forfeit their place in the queue.
“Some people find the process so daunting they don’t apply – there are currently families without educators,” said Sarah Cook, Aileron Station.
“If centres in towns are having problems filling positions, imagine how hard it is to fill places out on a station.”
Blackall ICPA branch wants legislation relaxed for remote child care centres when they can not fill positions with fully qualified recruits, arguing the rules and paperwork relating to child care facilities were more onerous than for primary or high schools hiring staff.
“Any centre is better than none. The only alternative is to close down if qualified staff can’t be found, as has happened in Blackall.”
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Andrew Marshall
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
