Child Australia’s CEO Tina Holtom attended BHP’s State of the Nation Events in Port Hedland over the last 2 weeks.
With almost 1000 BHP WA Iron Ore staff in attendance from the Port & Rail teams, Tina presented on ‘Thriving Futures’ educator workforce development partnership and the broader complexities surrounding access to childcare in the region, State & across the country.
Tina said, “The feedback was overwhelming with many attendees sharing their own stories on the impact of being unable to access high quality education & care for their children. 1 brave soul shared her heartbreaking journey of being stuck in a domestic violence situation because she was unable to secure care for her children, meaning she could not get a job to gain the financial independence needed to flee her abuser.
The invisible impact of inadequate childcare.
Early childhood education isn’t just great for a child’s developmental outcomes, but it truly has the power to transform lives. We simply cannot underestimate this sector as being critical social and economic infrastructure…and prioritising the educators, strengthening and developing a skilled local workforce, is ABSOLUTE key to unlocking broader access for families.”
Thank you to the BHP Community & Corporate Affairs teams for welcoming us to engage with your exceptional teams, enabling greater connection and understanding of our project & the many variables impacting childcare access, for your continued support and for inviting us to showcase our Thriving Futures partnership. Your commitment, kindness and passion is palpable and drives BHP’s purpose to ‘bring people and resources together to build a better world’.
We’re incredibly grateful to stand on the shoulders of giants as together we collaborate for genuine, lasting change that will truly improve outcomes for children, their families, and the broader communities for years to come.
To find out more about Thriving Futures, visit the website thrivingfutures.org.au
