The Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, has congratulated the community of Cohuna for finally getting a childcare centre confirmed after years of planning, even pleading, for assistance.
Mr Walsh, who has also been an active campaigner alongside the community for this valuable resource, says he is delighted perseverance has finally paid off.
He says although the childcare centre is long overdue, and is still more than two years away, it has been confirmed in a public state government statement.
“Cohuna is an incredibly vibrant and dynamic community and if you venture off the main strip you will be amazed at how many successful and diverse businesses it supports,” Mr Walsh adds.
“When I visited AWMA Water Solutions the other day, a major employer with a staff of around 80, they told me one of the major hurdles they face as an employer has been childcare,” he says.
“They actually have staff parked as far away as Echuca and Moama and they have to make the round trip most days just to find the support their families need.
“Now, after years of all our efforts being ignored by the Allan Labor government, Cohuna will get a significant community asset it has desperately deserved.”
Mr Walsh says the centre, when it opens, will be “a relief and life changing” for young families in the town, as well as for those who have been looking to move there.
He says regional childcare is absolutely critical, not only for families, but also to wider the community when it is accessible.
Its proposed lower charges than the average for the area, plus subsidies, means families on low incomes will typically pay only a small fee each day. These government-owned centres will also include free kindergarten.