IT IS a real shame the State Liberal Government and in particular, Carrum MP, Donna Bauer and Mordialloc MP, Lorraine Wreford, continue to play politics with the Take a Break program.
It was good enough for the previous State Labor Government to fund the Take a Break program, which comes in at a total cost of $1.9 million, so why is the Baillieu Government refusing to fund this program? Other state governments are still funding the Take a Break program.
Ms Bauer and Ms Wreford know there is room in the Victorian Budget, $480 million to be exact, which was ripped from the Education Department. The amount slashed from the education budget alone could fund the Take a Break program for the next 252 years.
The State Liberal Government even tried to slice an extra $6.5 million from our public libraries, but were quick to backflip after the community caught on to what they were doing and said enough was enough.
The Federal Government has provided an additional $210.6 million for child care over the next five years. Surely Ms Bauer and Ms Wreford could ask Mr Baillieu if the Take a Break program is as important as our libraries?
Mark Dreyfus QC MP,
Federal Member for Isaacs
