The Select Committee into Child Development Services report tabled today has once again highlighted the major funding shortfall for child development services and should elicit an urgent response from the Cook Labor Government.

Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education Donna Faragher said the Child Development Services in Western Australia: Valuing our Children and their Needs report presented clear evidence for a substantial increase in funding to improve access to critical child development services across Western Australia.

“I called for the establishment of this Select Committee last year in response to the unacceptably long wait times children and their families are experiencing to access these vital services,” Mrs Faragher said.

“My consistent calls, and those of families, health professionals and educators, for a substantial increase in funding and support have been vindicated with the Select Committee finding that funding has not kept pace with service demand.

“While the Cook Labor Government has sat idle, the wait times for these vital services have ballooned with the median wait time to see a speech pathologist now 12.2 months, 17.8 months to see a paediatrician and 17 months to see a clinical psychologist through the metropolitan Child Development Service. Country health regions are also experiencing significant delays across various services.”

Mrs Faragher said since its last major uplift in 2010-11 to 2014-15 by the former Barnett Government, state government funding for child development services delivered by CAHS and the WA Country Health Service had not been commensurate with demand for these services.

“The recently released Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) 2022-23 annual report also confirms that there has been a 52 per cent increase in referrals for these services in the last decade but no major increase in funding to match the increasing demand,” Mrs Faragher said.

“With full knowledge of this ever-increasing demand, it is inexcusable that funding requests have been repeatedly ignored by this Labor Government.

“There is a clear case for a substantial increase in government funding and this should occur without any further delay.

“The Health Minister has repeatedly said the government is waiting on the recommendations of this Committee so with the release of the report today there is now no excuse for this government to continue to dawdle and procrastinate.”

Mrs Faragher said the Committee had made a number of findings and recommendations.  The report also includes her minority recommendation that the State Government immediately provide the substantial funding increase required and that this be provided no later than the 2024-25 State Budget.

“The Cook Labor Government has been sitting idle for far too long so if this report is not the wake up call they need to act then I do not know what is.

“The impact of delay can be profound on a child’s overall development, health and wellbeing. It is high time the Premier and the Health Minister actually demonstrated a real commitment to addressing this problem.

“Our children simply cannot afford to wait,” Mrs Faragher said.