Child Care News
Childcare workers put Dutton's marginal seat in election crosshairs
Sydney Morning Herald – Alison Brown – September 11, 2018About 1500 childcare workers will be mobilised in the marginal Brisbane seat of Dickson in a bid to unseat Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, and a political expert predicts their protest over low pay will deliver the final blow to his political career. Griffith University political scientist…
'Long-time between calls': au pair pressure grows on Dutton
Financial Review – Tom McIlroy and Ronald Mizen – September 10, 2018Correspondence tabled in Parliament on Monday has cast fresh doubt over Peter Dutton's explanation about the growing au pair scandal, Labor and the Greens say. The Home Affairs Minister is under pressure over his decision to stop the deportation of two foreign au pairs after lobbying from…
Working parents furious with new charge for dropping kids to school early
Kidspot - Leesa Smith - September 10, 2018Parents with children at Burrowes State School received an email last week with has left a bad taste in their mouths. New school principal Kristine Sleeth Lemon has rocked the boat by informing parents that as of term 4 – if they drop their kids at school before 8.30am – they must pay...
Cairns daycare centre owner allegedly found with child pornography material images
The Cairns Post - Janessa Ekert - September 10, 2018THE OWNER of a family childcare centre in Cairns has been arrested on child pornography offences through a joint operation between the Child Protection and Investigation Unit, Australian Federal Police and Border Force. Francis Ranji Paramaguru, who co-owns a home daycare facility...
Labor push to refer Peter Dutton to High Court
The Age - Stephanie Peatling - September 9, 2018Labor will attempt to refer Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to the High Court when Parliament resumes this week with new legal advice suggesting he faces constitutional difficulties on not one but two fronts. Constitutional experts have previously raised questions about Mr Dutton...
Confessions from a woman who employs au pairs – and isn't filthy rich
Sydney Morning Herald - Georgina Dent - September 9, 2018Having a child is a great many things but economically rewarding isn't one of them, so having three children could reasonably be described as a form of economic insanity. We knew as much when we mulled over having a third baby. My husband and I are both from families with three...
Yes, Peter Dutton, you can be a working woman and a good mother
Sydney Morning Herald - Karen Hardy - September 9, 2018Peter Dutton has earned the ire of many women this week, if we didn't have reason enough to dislike him, with a throwaway comment about the whole au pair fiasco. On Monday he told reporters, answering questions about whether he had personally benefited from the whole thing...
Doncaster childcare centre building approved despite noise concerns
Herald Sun - Andrew Rogers - September 8, 2018A MANNINGHAM councillor says a proposal to build a childcare centre in Doncaster is "refreshing" because the project isn't another residential tower. Cr Anna Chen said the proposal was welcomed because it complemented planned and existing residential zones. The council voted...
Doctors warn Far North Queenslanders to be vigilant with health, following gastro outbreaks
Cairns Post - Daniel Bateman - September 7, 2018The Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service has advised there has been several outbreaks of gastroenteritis in the past three weeks in a school, childcare centre, and a residential home. Some patients have needed to be hospitalised after contracting the disease...
What is an au pair and do they need more regulation in Australia?
SBS News - Nick Baker - September 6, 2018Australia's au pairs saga is threatening to bring down a federal minister. SBS News looks at what the job entails. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is under fire for saving two au pairs from deportation in 2015. It is understood both women tried to enter Australia without the correct work visa...
The 'uphill battle of competing roles' encouraging women into startups
Women's Agenda - Bianca Hartge-Hazleman - September 6, 2018Barker adds this is especially important, given her belief that Australia is so far behind in terms of the support provided to working mothers around childcare, as well as the social and business stigma that still exists around who should do what at home. "I'm a migrant and when I got here...
Labor ramps up pressure on Dutton's childcare centres ahead of return of Parliament
ABC News - Matthew Doran - September 6, 2018Labor is seeking to rekindle the debate over Peter Dutton's eligibility to remain in Federal Parliament, seizing on new evidence suggesting a direct financial agreement between one of the Home Affairs Minister's childcare centres and the Commonwealth. But even with the numbers in the House...
Childcare centre portfolio sale a test amid 'glut'
Financial Review - Larry Schlesinger - September 5, 2018A portfolio of seven childcare centres will go to auction next week in what could prove to be a major test of investor appetite for the specialist asset class, hit by oversupply fears. The portfolio, which selling agents Burgess Rawson expect could fetch around $35 million under the hammer...
Peter Dutton's childcare funding letter sparks new attack
Financial Review - Phillip Coorey & Joe Aston - September 5, 2018Labor says the government has no choice but to refer Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to the High Court after a letter shows a child care centre held by Mr Dutton in trust had a funding agreement with the Commonwealth to enable the hiring of a special needs teacher. Constitutional lawyers...
Why your childcare fees aren't falling in an oversupply
Financial Review - Simon Evans - September 5, 2018Punishing lease costs which are tied to the number of licensed childcare places in a centre and not how many children are actually attending is one of the major reasons why childcare fees aren't dropping for families in a market awash with oversupply. The fixed costs aren't budging for childcare...
