Submissions

Here are recent submissions we have made to various inquiries and consultations.

 

Occasional Care Budget Submission:

Neighbourhood Houses Victoria (NHVic) is seeking a one-off $5 million rescue package to stabilise Neighbourhood House Occasional Childcare provision leading up to the implementation of new arrangements by the Federal Government.

Additionally, NHVic is asking the State Government to advocate to the Federal Government for a mechanism consistent with the intent of the Productivity Commission’s Draft Recommendation 7.5 to ensure a more targeted approach to funding and supporting occasional:

An ECEC Commission (draft recommendation 9.2) should be responsible for advising on the need for additional investments in occasional care and the communities in which these services are needed. Where additional investments are required, funding should be available through a more flexible Community Child Care Fund.

 

Submission to Productivity Commission Enquiry:

Various reforms of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) system have benefited and will 
benefit children and working families through:

• Better education outcomes, leading to improved opportunity particularly for children with other barriers to education, through the introduction of three year old kinder and higher professional standards in the ECEC sector.
• Improved economic access by removing barriers to workforce participation.
• Improved pay and career outcomes for early learning professionals.
• Better and safer early education and care through improved Child Safety Standards.

Neighbourhood Houses emerged as safe spaces for women’s safety, education and economic  empowerment through the first wave feminist movement and the Whitlam government’s commitment to women’s greater economic participation. As such, our sector strongly supports the various state and federal attempts to reform ECEC.

However, these reforms have had unintended consequences that impact the most vulnerable women in our society, creating barriers to core skills acquisition, economic participation, social connection and, in some cases, compromising women’s safety. 

  

Flood Inquiry Submission:

During the 2022 flood event, neighbourhood houses (NHs) in regional Victoria led the flood efforts in 
many communities, including Rochester, Charlton, Echuca, Numurkah and Mooroopna. This is not a new role for neighbourhood houses: it was also the case in the 2019 bushfires (notably in Kinglake) and many other fire events as well as the 2011 Victorian floods.

This submission addresses inquiry scope item (3) resourcing of the State Emergency Service, the  adequacy of its response to the Flood Event and the adequacy of its resourcing to deal with increasing floods and natural disasters in the future specifically in relation to recognising and supporting the role of neighbourhood houses in disaster response.

This submission focuses on recommended measures to strengthen the natural role already played by 
neighbourhood houses in disaster response and recovery.

   

Neighbourhood House Coordination Program (NHCP) Submission:

This submission sets out three costed measures to ensure the sustainability and ongoing effectiveness of neighbourhood houses and community centres under the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program (NHCP), a $40M state government program:

1. Restore core NHCP funding to allow for program funding above and beyond award wages for a single part-time coordinator;
2. Provide funding for frontline distribution of food relief, a rapidly escalating burden on Neighbourhood Houses.
3. Ringfence additional budget within the NHCP to fund new neighbourhood houses in rapidly developing growth corridors, before the opportunity is lost.
  

Pre-accredited Training Submission (Joint Submission with ACEVic)

Extensive sector wide consultation by the two Victorian peak bodies; Neighbourhood Houses Victoria (NHVic) and Adult and Community Education Victoria (ACEVic) has identified systemic underfunding of pre-accredited training in Learn Local providers.

Inadequate funding is adversely affecting the provision of sustainable, quality pre-accredited education opportunities for vulnerable learners throughout the state.

In response to these findings NHVic and ACEVic are seeking a State Government commitment to a new and sustainable quality-based funding model as well as an increase in the student contact hour funding rate.