Alice Moreau and Lui Mara with children Inès and Léon make up just one of the families struggling with the lack of childcare facilities in Cooktown. Photo: Supplied.
A Cooktown mum has had no choice but to put her career on hold following the closure of her son’s daycare in an already scarce local childcare scene.
Alice Moreau is one of many parents in the eastern Cape York community struggling with the lack of childcare facilities – and things only seem to be getting worse.
She was set to go back to work at the local hospital this year. But after the closure of two family daycares in December 2025, one of which her two-year-old son Léon attended, Ms Moreau was forced to take long service leave.
“I never put him on the public daycare waitlist because I didn’t think my childcare was going to close,” she said.
“Halfway through last year, my private daycare said they were going to shut at the end of the year so I put him on the public list straight away. Knowing people are already waiting 18 months to get a spot, I wasn’t confident.
“I let my work know, and said we’ll see what’s happening in January, and it’s still nothing.”
Ms Moreau said she was lucky to have a permanent position with Queensland Health, which had been quite flexible with her two-day-a-week work arrangement as a mum of two young children.
But after daycare closed, even that became impossible.
“Luckily, I just got my long service leave last year. Otherwise they could put me on fewer days per week, but I still need to have an income for weekly bills,” she said.
“If I’d go back to one day, that probably wouldn’t be enough. So I have to take some leave now, so I can still have some money coming in.
“I’ve already been at home for almost two years now and I don’t know when I can go back to work full-time.”
Ms Moreau said she was currently trying to work an arrangement out with a friend, but was increasingly concerned about the lack of a long-term solution – especially with her daughter Inès now in prep.
“Even with school, there’s no after-school care. So it’s also a hard one because not everyone can finish work at three o’clock in the afternoon. You have to rely on family and friends,” she said.
“I live 20 kilometres out of town, so it’s pretty hard. But it’s not just me, there are heaps of people in the same boat – not everyone lives in town.
“Mums are ready to go back to work and a family has already left town because of it. So it’s pretty sad.”
In 2017, Cook Shire Council purchased the Barrier Reef Child Care Centre to help maintain access to local childcare services.
A range of service delivery models have since been trialled. But strict compliance requirements, workforce shortages, staffing qualifications, and operational costs have made childcare services particularly difficult to sustain in regional and remote communities.
Council acknowledged access to childcare had been a longstanding concern, especially for Cooktown and Lakeland. Council said its focus remained on advocacy for sustainable, long-term solutions.
While it was a difficult situation, Mayor Robyn Holmes said it was important for the community to understand sustainable childcare solutions took time and required collaboration beyond local government.
“Council is actively advocating to the Federal Government for funding to support childcare infrastructure, and to the Queensland Government to recognise Cooktown and Lakeland as ‘areas of need’ to help prioritise services in our region,” Mayor Holmes said.
“There is no quick fix and any expansion of services comes with additional costs.
“However, council will continue advocating strongly to ensure our community’s needs are heard and not overlooked.”
