Hopetoun Early Years Facilities Crisis
Published on 28 August 2026
"Not Good Enough": Mayor Demands State Government Act on Hopetoun Early Years Facilities Crisis
Yarriambiack Shire Council is calling on the Victorian Government to immediately intervene and deliver a solution for Hopetoun's early years crisis, with Mayor Cr Andrew McLean describing the situation as “completely unacceptable” and a failure of government to properly support rural communities.
Mayor McLean said Hopetoun families had already endured the loss of childcare services due to workforce shortages, only to have hopes of restoration crushed when the town's Early Years Centre was forced to close following the discovery of a burst water pipe, causing severe structural damage.
"For more than two years, Hopetoun families have been without a childcare service, and now they are being told they could wait another two years before a permanent early years facility is available. That is simply unacceptable," Cr McLean said.
"Rural families deserve access to the same essential services as metropolitan communities. The Victorian Government cannot continue to talk about supporting regional Victoria while allowing communities like Hopetoun to go without the basic infrastructure needed to support children and working families."
The Hopetoun childcare service closed in April 2024 after workforce shortages forced provider Uniting Vic Tas to cease operations. In response, Council worked closely with Emerge Early Years Services to establish a sustainable integrated model that would deliver both kindergarten and long day care services from the one facility.
By 2025, kindergarten services had transitioned to Emerge and staff had been successfully recruited to restart childcare in 2026.
"The community was on the brink of finally getting this critical service back," Cr McLean said.
"Families, educators and employers had every reason to be optimistic. Then, through no fault of their own, the Council owned building was declared unsafe after extensive water damage, mould and structural deterioration were uncovered."
Engineering assessments have confirmed that the site requires extensive remediation and stabilisation works, with the facility potentially unavailable for up to two years.
While kindergarten programs have been temporarily relocated to the Hopetoun Senior Citizens Building, Cr McLean said the arrangement was far from ideal.
"This temporary solution comes at the expense of another valued community group and still does not provide a childcare service for local families," he said.
"We have 27 children enrolled in kindergarten this year, strong enrolment projections for next year, and at least 15 families who had already expressed interest in childcare places before services were due to reopen. The demand is there and the need is undeniable."
Cr McLean said Council was deeply disappointed to learn the Department of Education had advised there were no relocatable facilities available and that investment in an alternative solution was not currently under consideration.
"Frankly, I am outraged that a rural community can be left in this position," he said.
“It is unacceptable that our children, teachers and educators are expected to operate a kindergarten program from the Senior Citizens building for up to two years. While the Department of Education may see this as a temporary solution, it simply shifts the problem onto another valued community group. Our senior citizens also deserve better than having their facility used as a long-term substitute for proper early years infrastructure,” stated Cr McLean.
"The Victorian Government's Best Start, Best Life reforms promise better access to early childhood education and care, yet our families are being told to wait years for a solution. That is not equity and it is not good enough."
The Mayor warned that the ongoing absence of childcare would have far-reaching consequences for workforce participation, local business attraction and retention, and the long-term sustainability of the community.
"When parents can't access childcare, they can't participate fully in the workforce. Employers struggle to recruit and retain staff. When substandard kindergarten facilities are on offer, young families begin looking elsewhere. The ripple effects from these situations are profound."
"We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fair treatment and the same level of commitment that has been shown to other regional communities."
Yarriambiack Shire Council is calling on the Victorian Government to urgently commit to delivering a new integrated early years facility (with kindergarten and long day care) for Hopetoun, either through the development of a facility on the Hopetoun P-12 College site or by funding the demolition and reconstruction of an early years facility on Council-owned land, supplemented by Council's insurance proceeds.
"Our children cannot wait another two years and neither can our community," Cr McLean said.
"The Government must step up, honour its commitment to regional Victoria, and deliver the modern early years facility that Hopetoun families deserve."
Mayor
Cr Andrew McLean
Yarriambiack Shire Council