Augusta and Districts Community Childcare Receives $100,000

The Shire of Augusta Margaret River will provide $100,000 towards the establishment of daycare services for the Augusta community.

The decision comes after yesterday’s Ordinary Council Meeting where Council members voted to make a once-off contribution to the Augusta and Districts Community Childcare (ADCC) to assist with the refurbishment and fit out of the State building they secured (at 7 Hillview Road, Augusta).

Shire President, Julia Meldrum said that this is a fantastic outcome for the community of Augusta.

“Council deliberated over this matter and in the end, we decided to give the Augusta and Districts Community Childcare $100,000 out of our budget this year,” she said.

“This contribution is possibly the best $100,000 that has been spent in Augusta for a long time.”

Since ADCC approached the Shire four years ago, Shire officers have always focused on finding the simplest and most cost-effective way to support the childcare needs of Augusta.

Director Sustainable Economy and Communities, Nick Byrne said that this matter had received a lot of community interest and the Shire had been doing its best to keep the community informed.

“ADCC’s strong commitment to providing regional children with access to childcare really is admirable and we’re pleased to see this finally come to fruition,” he said.

“The $100,000 contribution will help get the business up and running to support the future needs of families in and around Augusta, and our thriving and growing Augusta community.”

The Shire already supports families in our community by providing before, after school and vacation care through our Margaret River Recreation Centre, as well as a creche for gym users. Additionally, we support the Margaret River Community Centre to deliver childcare and our key services to our community, by via a peppercorn lease agreement.

ADCC hope to open the Augusta childcare centre by the end of the year and once established, the centre will support Augusta families as well as local businesses.   

ADCC began advocating for childcare services within Augusta and surrounding districts in 2019 and raised the issue of Shire funding via through the Community Care Package Economic Stimulus grant program in 2020.