Nationals Candidate Jamie Chaffey woos Bourke voters with ECEC pledge

Freya Lucas

Apr 16, 2025

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Nationals Candidate Jamie Chaffey visited the north western New South Wales town of Bourke earlier this month, promising to fund a redevelopment of Bourke and District Children's Services (BDCS) should the Coalition secure Government in the upcoming 3 May election.

The $1 million in funding for BDCS would be used to build a shed that can house two buses, a mobile resource truck, staff bathrooms, laundry, a toy wash facility, and a centralised storage area, with the provider also contributing $20,000 to the upgrades.

The announcement of the proposed funding was welcomed by BDCS General Manager Prue Ritchie who told local news source Western Plains App that the facility upgrades would support the BDCS preschool, long day care and mobile services to work efficiently and effectively to meet the needs of Bourke’s remote community.

"I think it's just been really nice to have people who are interested in how they can assist. We welcome any investment for the young people of Western NSW,” Ms Ritchie said. "Investment in early childhood services both in Bourke and in the whole of Australia is something that is widely needed."

BDCS currently has 78 licenced places available, with 60 children on its waiting list - something Ms Ritchie said is impacting on the capacity of local businesses to attract migrant workers and other would-be employees to the region.

"We would like to have a place for every child, every day," Ms Ritchie said. The lack of care options “significantly impacts the ability for Police, Health, Education - or for that matter all employment sectors in our economy - to attract workers and their families to Bourke as childcare is simply not available for so many,” Bourke Mayor Lachlan Ford said. Access the original coverage of this story here.

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