By Five Advocacy
Published on 07 March 2025
Yarriambiack Shire expresses concern regarding the uncertainty surrounding the By Five Funding
Yarriambiack Shire Council has expressed its concern regarding the uncertainty surrounding the By Five Funding, which is only secured until the 30 June 2025.
The By Five Wimmera Southern Mallee (WSM) Early Years Initiative is a place-based community collaboration with the vision that ‘Every WSM child succeeds in learning and life’. It represents five Local Government Areas, working together to improve outcomes across five developmental domains measured at school entry through the Australian Early Development Census.
Shire Mayor Cr Kylie Zanker stated “By Five are committed to ensuring that every child and family has access to consistent, quality early years services in the quantity required for children to thrive in a supportive community environment. “
Mayor Zanker continued “Children in our region face poor learning and health outcomes due to limited access to early childhood education and paediatric services, resulting in 40% higher rates of developmental vulnerability than the Victorian average. This gap creates long-term economic, healthcare, welfare, and justice burdens.”
“Geographical isolation, extensive waiting times for localised health and education support and poor access to specialist health care were identified as key drivers of these developmental issues and broader lower socio-economic outcomes, however By Five have successfully trialled and tested solutions to address these issues” Mayor Zanker added.
For over four years, the Paediatric Telehealth service has been delivered in partnership with the Royal Children’s Hospital, funded jointly through the By Five Initiative and VMST funding (supporting a training Paediatrician). However, this funding is only secured until June 30, 2025.
Without a guarantee of ongoing funding, By Five are now working to manage the children currently in their care and transition them as effectively as possible—especially given that public paediatric wait times now exceed four years.
Mayor Zanker stated “To build on the success of the initial government investment, an additional $3.5 million in Victorian Government funding is essential for Phase 2 of the By Five.”
This funding, covering program delivery from 2025 to 2029, will:
- Improve the lives of a further 1000 children through targeted health and education services.
- Support 200 rural professionals to deliver localised services.
- Deliver allied health services directly to 5 rural and remote public schools.
- Support 8 new antenatal access locations across WSM.
- Integrated 8 existing kindergartens and long day care centres.
- Establish 8 new long day care services in small rural communities.
- Document and evaluate rural service access models to spread and scale.
While addressing Council at the February Council Meeting, Mayor Zanker concluded “This program is vitally important to change the outcomes of our young people. It is imperative that By Five continues to be funded until 2029.”
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Cr Kylie Zanker