Child Care News
Think broadens executive team with appointment of new Chief Operating Officer
The Sector - Jason Roberts - November 1, 2019Think Childcare (Think) has confirmed the appointment of Georgina Gaussen as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, a newly created position for the Group. Ms Gaussen, who is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Monash University, has previously...
Child care prices rise year on year as one off CCS savings wash through, says ABS
The Sector - Jason Roberts - November 1, 2019Child care prices across Australia rose 7.0 per cent in the three months ended September 2019 compared to the same period last year, and 2.5 per cent compared to the three months ended June 2019 according to the latest Consumer Price Index data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics...
Cost of child care climbs again
2GB Michael McLaren - November 1, 2019Michael is joined by Chiang Lim, CEO Australian Childcare Alliance New South Wales, to talk about the cost of childcare climbing by 7 per cent since the September quarter last year. Half of the Morrison government’s effort to cut the cost of childcare has disappeared in the first year of its $2.5 billion...
PEXA introduces generous parental-support policies
Australiasian Lawyer - Sol Dolor - November 1, 2019Property Exchange Australia (PEXA) has introduced Australia-leading parental-support policies to maintain its edge in a competitive industry... PEXA is also giving employees up to $1,000 in childcare assistance per month per child. That’s more than the up to $10,373 provided by the government...
TAFE helps fill the childcare gap
The West Australian - Alexander Scott, North West Telegraph - November 1, 2019Port Hedland’s overburdened childcare facilities are set for a much-needed reprieve with the local council awarding a contract to convert two sites in the town into daycare centres. Town of Port Hedland Commissioner Fred Reibeling approved the motion last Wednesday, which would create...
Report calls for mental health screening of toddlers
The Courier Mail - Natasha Bita - October 31, 2019Toddlers should be screened for mental illness before they start preschool to stop them sliding into anxiety and depression, a government agency has warned. And taxpayers should spend $975 million a year to hire a “wellbeing leader’’ for every school, to spot students with mental health...
Vocational traineeships to be fee free from January 2020
NSW Government - Press Release - 31 October 2019Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee and Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell are calling on employers to take on more trainees following the launch of a new $54.3 million NSW Government Budget initiative to make government-subsidised traineeships fee-free...
Mental illness and suicide 'costing $500 million a day'
Sydney Morning Herald - Dana McCauley - October 31, 2019The report recommended "consistent screening of social and emotional development" in early childhood health checks "to enable early intervention", and "proactive outreach services" in schools to support students who had "disengaged" due to mental illness...
Number of grandparents claiming childcare benefits plummets after 'tougher test'
The Guardian - Sarah Martin - October 31, 2019The number of grandparents claiming childcare benefits has dropped dramatically since an overhaul of the system last year, raising concerns that vulnerable children may have dropped out of formal care arrangements or ended up in foster care. Figures from the...
Fixing childcare rip off of working mums could boost economy by $700m
Financial Review - Patrick Durkin - October 30, 2019Mothers are penalised for working more days under the flawed childcare subsidy and reforming it would generate 30,000 extra work days a week and boost the economy by $700 million, a new KPMG report has found. KPMG chairman Alison Kitchen and Chief Executive Women...
Tax rules on childcare subsidy keeps working mums at home; KPMG urges reform
ABC News - Peter Ryan on AM - October 30, 2018The study targets disincentives for women in particular with the tax system looking at overall family rather than individual income. KPMG Australia chairman tells ABC's Peter Ryan the government's budget surplus ambitions might need to be sacrificed...
Childcare costs climb again as drought hits family budgets
Sydney Morning Herald - Shane Wright and Eryk Bagshaw - October 30, 2019Half of the Morrison government's effort to cut the cost of childcare has disappeared in the first year of its $2.5 billion overhaul of the sector as price pressures continue to squeeze the hip pockets of parents. The Australian Bureau of Statistics consumer price index...
“Radical plan” to boost economy would drive down wages
Macro Business - By Unconventional Economist in Australian Economy - October 30, 2019KMPG argues Australia’s tax and transfer system needs a revamp so more secondary earners in a family (usually women) can get back to work. Their proposal looks at changing the child care subsidy rates for long-day care, and giving “top-up” payments...
Inflation edges up taking some heat off the RBA to cut interest rates
ABC News - Stephen Letts - October 30, 2019International travel (+6.1 per cent) was the most significant contributor to the rise in inflation, while property rates and child care both rose 2.5 per cent. Fuel slipped 2 per cent - the price spike from the attack on Saudi facilities occurring too late in the quarter...
Challenges for regional businesswomen
Barossa Herald - October 30, 2019Poor quality internet and a lack of childcare and quality support are among the main challenges facing regional women in business in South Australia. In a survey by the Women in Business Regional Network regional businesswomen were asked to identify...
