Government incompetence forces childcare closure, devastating families

Away from the troubling wars of the Ukraine-Russia and Hamas-Israel conflicts, is Braidwood, a tiny town in New South Wales. 

The one-time prospecting gold mining town, and subject of Australia’s first Royal Commission in 1867 into Police Assisting and Shielding Bush Rangers, Braidwood has played a unique part in Australia’s history. 

A population of 1900, Braidwood still retains much of its historical architecture and one major road running right through the heart of the town. 

An hour from Canberra, one hour from Australia’s first inland city and sheep capital Goulburn, and the gateway to the NSW far south coast, not much happens in the sleepy hollow of Braidwood, except when bureaucratic bungling plays its part. 

And although the Ukraine-Russia and Hamas-Israel wars pose significant issues geopolitically, Braidwood has a problem not of a geopolitical kind, but one nonetheless that will impact overwhelmingly on the families and children of the town. 

Government incompetence, and ignorance and the inability to think through the implications of what poor policy has placed on the young the families and children of Braidwood, will now have a resounding impact on early learning services in the town. 

In two weeks, a fully operational early learning service will be lost to the families and community. 

Families who are already struggling to work and maintain a position of economic viability, will now be placed in a vice of impossible compromise - the sacrifice of a partner’s job, reducing two-income households to single incomes because bureaucratic incompetence through poor policy planning has forced Braidwood’s only early learning centre that meet the needs of working families, and provides education and care for children under 18 months will shut its doors. 

As usual with anything government introduces - what maybe a seemingly good idea to policy makers, is made in isolation from the very industry sectors or communities impacted by or must deal with the fallout of poor policy.  

Braidwood is that very example and the closure of the Wallace St Early Learning Centre, has had serious ramifications for 485 young families throughout the area.  

Wallace St Early Learning, an institution in Braidwood since opening its doors 16 years ago, is now an entity of the past. 

The one-time confidante to families, developer and carer for Braidwood’s young could no longer hold back the inevitable. 

The NSW’s Department of Education’s decision to fund 20 additional places for the local preschool, has dealt a serious blow not only to Wallace St’s economic viability, but to its ability to compete with the pre-school’s enticing12 weeks holiday a year and reduced opening hours to local educators.

Founder, owner Melanie Wakefield, had no option but to close the doors after 16 years of dedicated service to the families of Braidwood.

For nine months, Ms. Wakefield fought to stave off the inevitable, but poorly thought through government policy became so overwhelming it inevitably it left Ms Wakefield with no choice but to shut the doors and leave Braidwood without an early learning centre facility. 

Early learning in Braidwood that caters to meet the needs of working families, is now a thing of the past unless the NSW State Government repeals a policy that hasn’t only killed off the early learning facility but imposes an intolerable social and economic impost on families. 

According to Ms. Wakefield, closing the centre was an extremely hard decision. “It’s not a decision you make lightly, knowing the impact it’s going to have on staff, families economically and the community.”

As much as Ms. Wakefield fought to stave off the inevitable, the weight of poor government policy became too great and too onerous.

“When poor government policy is implemented without thought, this is what happens. The flow on effect is devastating for the entire community and everyone involved.”

“Families and children suffer, educators and the community suffers. It’s obvious government doesn’t care, if they did, policy makers would’ve thought long and hard about the implications such a policy would have - they didn’t and if they did, they simply ignored its ramifications.” 

Braidwood according to Ms. Wakefield isn’t the only town in regional NSW’s that has faced this reckless decision by the NSW Department of Education to provide funding where the need was not there.  

“There are many facing the same problem, where families have been impacted, services cut short, and lives and longstanding business the community have come to rely on destroyed.”  

Braidwood may not be facing the devastation the people of Palestine and Ukraine are, but for Braidwood, the challenge might not be as complex but it is still devastatingly personal.