It was greeted with genuine relief by parents who have struggled alone in this shire for too long.

Whoever wins government later this month should have no hesitation in finding such a sum.

Rural areas in general and the Eurobodalla in particular have been so far behind the “eight ball” on services for people with disabilities, that it will take more than $1.5 million to begin to catch up.

However, this is a fine start.

Parent after parent has told the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner of their sense of despair and isolation when seeking help for a baby or toddler they have fears about.

Without regular, on-demand, specialist paediatric services in the shire, even the first step of diagnosis has been an anxious uphill battle.

So many parents have relayed their many trips to Canberra, Nowra and Sydney to try to find answers.

With answers come the need for ongoing therapy – meaning more trips away.

Such journeys are time consuming, exhausting and expensive.

A centre where parents could interact regularly with therapists and specialists, meet other parents and children, and take advantage of everyone’s combined goodwill and knowledge is something many city parents have.

No parent of a child with a disability has it easy, but in rural areas it is much tougher than it need be.

In purely economic terms, the loss of productivity due to parents having to invest so much more time than is necessary, should earn this centre a big tick.

All political parties, of all stripes, should commit immediately to supporting this funding, regardless of who takes the reins at the end of this month.