Time to take a stand

Latrobe Valley Express 05/09/2011 By NIKITA VAZ

THE 'Save Take A Break' childcare fight has spurned passionate responses among residents who are calling on local politicians to "work for the country people".

A Gippsland resident has taken the region's National Party members to task, urging them to fulfil their

electoral duty.

"They were elected to work for the community people...the National Party need to remember to work for the country people because in this instance they are not doing that," Gippsland resident Glenys McBride

said.

She said the fight to reinstate funding has turned into a "political football", with the state and federal governments pointing fingers at each other, rather than addressing "real families who are going to be

affected".

When asked what the region's representatives were doing to address the issue, State Member for Morwell Russell Northe said he would continue to lobby on behalf of the region.

"We've highlighted the issue in Parliament and we're also urging the state Labor Party to lobby their

federal counterparts," Mr Northe said.

Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester recently addressed Parliament with a 1000 signature petition, urging the Federal Government to put in its share of funding.

"It should not be so hard for regional communities to get a fair go out of this government," Mr Chester

said.

"If the government is not prepared to listen to me perhaps they will listen to these 1000 Gippslanders

who are basically saying they want a fair go."

Recently, State Children's Minister Wendy Lovell told The Express she was urging the Federal Government to review the eligibility criteria for the Child Care Benefitand Child Care Rebate, in order to ease the problem.

Families who choose occasional child care are currently not eligible for the CCB and CCR.

"It is discriminatory and inequitable that families who choose occasional care may not have access to CCB

and CCR, purely because occasional childcare suits their needs better than long daycare," Ms Lovell said.

"(It) should be available to all eligible families regardless of the type of care they choose."