Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Opinion: Barry Haase on child care funding

Local member Barry Haase says a coalition government would commit $89million to child care.

Mr Haase, who is also the Liberal candidate for Durack, said his party would also re-introduce the indexation of the child care rebate.

You can read his statement here:

27 July 2010

Liberals commit to extra $89m for child care

“With many Australian families struggling and in need of help to meet increased costs of living, the Liberal Party will commit an additional $89 million for initiatives to make child care more affordable and help ensure the quality of care,” said Mr Haase, Federal Member.

To improve access to affordable child care for families, the Liberal Party will reintroduce the indexation of the Child Care Rebate to help eligible families meet their child care costs. The Child Care Rebate covers 50 per cent of out-of-pocket child care expenses for approved child care up to the annual cap of $7,500.

For those parents receiving the maximum amount of the Child Care Rebate, indexation of the payment will provide an additional $300 per year for every child in care.

The Liberal Party will seek to have Child Care Rebate paid weekly and directly to child care providers so that families will face smaller and less frequent out-of-pocket expenses which will ease the pressure on family budgets.

The Child Care Rebate is currently paid quarterly and in arrears to the family when an account is raised. This has generated cash flow problems for parents and has been subject to fraud. This change would be an improvement for families’ budgets, improve efficiency and reduce red tape.

The Liberal Party will also reintroduce $12.6 million of Occasional Care funding cut by the Rudd-Gillard Government, which will give parents greater flexibility and part-time access to child care places in times of emergency or unforeseen need.

The Liberal Party will not proceed with Labor’s new National Rating system for child care and early childhood education services. There is no evidence that a rating or ranking system adds value for parents or accurately portrays the quality of care provided. Approved child care is accredited and monitored, and parents can already access attendance data on-line.

The Liberal Party supports high quality and standards for the sector. The concerns expressed by child care providers who believe that the current government has failed to adequately consult on the cost and workforce impacts of the new National Quality Agenda for Early Childhood Education and Care means  we will ensure wide industry consultation before proceeding with these significant reforms to the sector.

The Liberal Party will also re-establish the Federal Planning and Advisory Committee to restore order and rationality to the establishment of new accredited child care facilities. The Committee will assess whether the establishment or expansion of child care centres is warranted, subject to the unmet need in catchment areas.

“Before the 2007 election, the current government promised to build an additional 260 child care and early childhood education centres on school sites and community land.  It is now 2010 and only four of these have been built.”

“The commitment of an additional $89.25 million in child care is proof that we understand the need for working families to be able to access affordable and quality child care,” said Mr Haase.

Tags: Children

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