NSW Councils Push For Expansion Of Public Childcare

New South Wales regional councils are calling for urgent government investment in council-run childcare services following a parliamentary inquiry into the early childhood education sector.

The inquiry found large for-profit childcare operators were generally delivering lower quality and less safe care than not-for-profit providers, including council-operated centres.

Local Government NSW President Darcy Byrne says the findings confirm long-standing concerns raised by councils about safety, affordability and access across the sector.

He says many families are struggling to secure childcare places, particularly in regional and outer suburban communities where private operators have reduced services or left the market altogether.

The report also recommends stronger workforce support, the creation of a national early childhood commission, and changes to funding arrangements aimed at increasing the number of government and not-for-profit childcare centres.

Councils argue their services consistently provide safer and more reliable care, while also supporting vulnerable children, low-income families and regional communities that often have limited childcare options.