What are you really feeding Supporting fexible early childhood education and care for rural and regional NSW

The North Coast Local Land Services biosecurity team can provide advice to primary producers in helping manage pest animals which can impact heavily on their bottom line. With supplemental feeding becoming more common with seasonal dry times, their advice is to get ahead of pest problems before they have an even greater impact.

Feral deer, feral pigs, wild dogs and foxes can all affect a primary producers’ bottom line by directly competing with livestock for feed or by killing or maiming them.

Dean Chamberlain, Team Leader Invasive Species for North Coast Local Land Services said, “We can all see that things are dry and feed on the ground is getting short and so can our pest animals.

“Feral deer and feral pigs will not only eat your pasture and any crops you may have planted but are also quite happy to eat the hay or grain supplement you might be feeding your cattle.

“Feral deer and feral pigs are capable of learning that the cattle feeder in the paddock is a good source of high-quality feed and will quite happily come and eat your hardearned dollars and they can also affect water quality by wallowing in waterholes and creeks.” Dean said.

Wild dog and fox attacks tend to increase in times of dry weather as native animals become less abundant and available as a source of food. As the main calving season is occurring weaker cows will mean weaker calves which are easier prey for wild dogs and potentially foxes.

“Wild dogs hunting in packs, sometimes up to ten, are known to pull down weaners and grown cattle by running them to exhaustion or chasing them into gullies and scrub where they become trapped.

Dean continued, “Foxes can do damage to cows and calves and have been known to chew the tongues of newborn calves and chew the teats of cows that have diffculty calving.

“Attacks on small livestock such as sheep, goats and alpacas also become more common as they are seen as an easy target.” Dean said.

Primary producers who want to know more about managing their pest animal issues are encouraged to contact the North Coast Local Land Services Invasive Species team by calling 1300 795 299.

More families in rural and regional NSW will have improved access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) when and where they need it most following the launch of a new trial grants program. With a pool of $20 million over two years, services across the state are encouraged to apply to participate in the Flexible Initiatives Trial (the Trial) which will provide grants to fund new or adapted operating models.

The Trial has been designed to empower providers to better cater to the needs of local families, recognising communities across the state face different challenges when it comes to accessing ECEC.

For example, parents in major regional centres such as Wollongong, the Central Coast, and Newcastle may be commuting to Sydney for work and could beneft from:

• extended hours of care beyond traditional working hours

• fexible pick-up and drop-off times

• improved access to ad hoc care arrangements outside of scheduled hours

In outer regional, remote and very remote areas of NSW, the trial will support the establishment of new family day care services.

Smaller and more dispersed communities could also beneft from:

• funding for staff recruitment

• transport for eligible children to and from care

• partnerships between 2 different service types to provide extended or wrap-around care arrangements.

Acting Deputy Secretary of Early Childhood Outcomes, Mark Barraket, said the NSW Department of Education is committed to making sure all children in NSW get the best start in life.

“To achieve this goal, we must acknowledge and address the unique challenges faced by rural and regional communities across our state,” he said.

“The Flexible Initiatives Trial is a part of our commitment to addressing concerns about choice and availability of quality early childhood education and care experiences for every child.

“The Trial is not a one size fts all model, it is designed around the needs of each community. How it will look in Wollongong or Newcastle is very different to the new or adapted operating models that will be trialled in our state’s west.”

Applications are now open for the frst round of the program, and close on 1 December 2023. Visit the NSW Department of Education website for more information, including the program guidelines and eligibility.

The Trial is the frst in a suite of grant programs and partnerships to be delivered in 2023-24 under the NSW Government’s 10-year Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund (the Fund).

The Fund will help deliver on new initiatives that supports those who need it most – children, families and the early childhood education workforce.

It will also be used to provide $500 per child of fee relief to 3-year-old children attending eligible preschool programs in long day care centres, effective from early 2024.

“The Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund will create real and long-lasting change in NSW. Bold and exciting new initiatives are being developed to respond with long term solutions to the most pressing needs experienced by the early learning sector, by families and by children,” Mr Barraket said.