A report by the Victorian Auditor-General's Office has revealed many of Victoria's councils are struggling to deliver a critical early childhood health program due to the mismanagement of the Allan Labor Government.
The audit into the Enhanced Maternal and Child Health (EMCH) program found total hours delivered were 31 per cent lower than the total hours funded, indicating a mismatch between the funding provided by the Department of Health and actual demand on the ground.
The report found the Department of Health does not:
- Have the information it needs to fully understand and align EMCH funding to demand.
- Monitor or report on whether EMCH is achieving its performance and outcome measures.
- Capture accurate, timely or fit-for-purpose EMCH data.
These failures have resulted in major inconsistencies across the state, with one council providing as little as one hour of support per family, while another provided 27 hours per family.
Shadow Minister for Local Government, Bev McArthur, said: "The Allan Labor Government's mismanagement of the basics is leading to poorer outcomes for families and ratepayers.
"It should be no surprise a program that isn't being properly administered or monitored is not delivering for the communities they serve.
"Without urgent reform, vulnerable families risk falling through the cracks while councils are left carrying the financial and operational burden of a program that they do not control.
"The Allan Labor Government must come clean on these failures, fix the funding model, and ensure councils are properly supported to deliver this essential service."
