Working parents have been warned about the low priority given by the State Opposition to the provision of child care.
In the Liberal Party's so-called `Lifestyle' policy, there is no mention of the urgent need to expand child care services to cater for the diverse needs of modern families.
Family and Community Development Minister Eric Ripper said today the Opposition's failure to commit to providing extra child care places was cause for concern.
The State Government was committed to expanding the variety and availability of child care with $10.5 million to be allocated over the next three years.
In co-operation with the Commonwealth the State will build 20 new child care centres, and fund 2,850 outside school hours care places in the next four years.
"In the term of this Government the number of child care places has multiplied by nearly five times, from 4,754 to 21,327 in 1992," Mr Ripper said.
"In this time, 16,500 new child care places have been created, including outside school hours, occasional and family day care."
Mr Ripper said people working in the community services field would be amazed at the ill-informed and ill-conceived policy, which even used the wrong name for the State's major community services provider.
The Liberal policy also promised a $5 million expansion in family centres, when the Government has already committed itself to an $8.5 million expansion program to build 24 new centres in the next three years.
A Liberal commitment to have an immediate review of any decision to remove a child from parents was simply re-stating the system which had operated since 1947, where a child was required to be brought to the Children's Court within 48 hours.
Mr Ripper said the Liberal policy also failed to mention emergency financial relief, financial counselling, or Government concessions, which were all major assistance schemes for low-income Western Australians.
"Just as they got the name of the Department for Community Development wrong, they have also hastily compiled a mish-mash of ideas, many of which are already part of State Government policy."
