It follows the Namoi Valley Independent’s story last week which detailed the crippling reality local families face finding childcare placements in Gunnedah.

“Childcare is one of those essential services which keep people in the district,” Mr Coulton said. “And it’s a key driver to attracting younger families to the area.”

As of Friday, his office had not received any community concerns from Gunnedah but he was happy to assist where possible.

The plight of Gunnedah parents was also of alarm to advocacy group, Early Childhood Australia (ECA).

“It is of great concern that regional centres like Gunnedah are experiencing shortages of childcare and early learning places,” an ECA spokesperson said. 

“The best way to ensure that children in Gunnedah have the best start for school and for life is through attending quality early learning.

“We know that one in five Australian children is developmentally vulnerable when they start school – these levels of vulnerability are often higher in rural and remote areas. 

“Children who start school behind often stay behind.”

ECA guidelines recommend children have access to at least two days of early learning in childcare centre or pre-school for at least two years before they start school.

But according to a Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2015 report, Australia was ranked in the bottom third of OECD countries for enrolment of three-year-olds in early childhood education.

While Gunnedah struggled to placements, the outlook had improved for childcare in Boggabri where Mr Coulton was assisting proposals to bring more services to town. “There’s not at all for them in Boggabri,” he said. “It has been an issue there for some time.”

A building had been purchased in Boggabri to complement their application for the federally-funded ong Day Care Capital Funding Exceptional Circumstances Grant.