Bass Coast Shire Council Case for Action

Bass Coast is experiencing sustained population growth, with increasing demand for early years services. Around one in five residents are children and young people. This means that the demand for early years services is growing, with forecast increases in kindergarten-aged children and identified unmet demand for places.

In regional communities, service access is constrained by:

• distance and transport barriers
• limited provider presence and workforce availability
• lower levels of sustained investment

Demand is rising faster than system capacity.

The Problem

Access to kindergarten is becoming increasingly constrained across Bass Coast.

Population growth and the new early years reform are driving increased demand, with forecast growth in the 3–4 year old cohort and unmet demand across parts of the Shire.

Geography and transport further limit access.

This results in:

• families travelling significant distances to access kindergarten
• barriers for families without reliable transport
• reduced access for children in more remote or disadvantaged communities

pressure on existing services and infrastructure

The System Gap

These challenges are structural and cannot be addressed by Council alone.

• Kindergarten expansion requires coordinated infrastructure investment to meet population growth and Pre-Prep reform demand
• Youth services rely on sustained operational funding and workforce availability
• Infrastructure upgrades require capital investment beyond local government capacity
• Regional areas experience market failure, with limited private sector provision
• Service delivery is fragmented across agencies, with no coordinated regional model

Council is increasingly required to fill gaps that sit outside its core role.

This is not sustainable.

Why This Matters Now

Without intervention:

• children miss out on early learning opportunities critical to development and school readiness
• young people experience delayed support and increased disengagement
• access inequities widen across the community
• demand for services outpaces supply
• pressure on Council to provide or subsidise services increases
• regional disadvantage deepens

This is a system pressure, not a local issue.

Council’s Role

Bass Coast Shire Council is not the primary service provider for these areas.

Council’s role is to:

• provide local evidence and community insight
• coordinate advocacy across departments and partners
• support integrated, place-based responses
• advocate to State and Federal Government for investment and system reform

Where priorities align with endorsed Council plans, Council will lead or co-lead advocacy.

Where issues sit outside these priorities, Council will support and amplify partner-led advocacy.

Advocacy Priorities

Priority 1: Early Years and Kindergarten Access

Objective: Ensure all children can access local, high-quality kindergarten

Focus:

• Expanding kindergarten infrastructure in growth areas
• Supporting delivery of Pre-Prep reforms
• Reducing geographic and transport barriers
• Improving equitable access across communities