Child Care News

Don't just celebrate mums today - make their lives easier every day
Sydney Morning Herald - May 13, 2018

Rather than spoiling mums for one day of the year, we need to look at broader societal changes that will ease women back into the workforce, and provide them with flexibility around hours. We need to recognise that affordable childcare is a family issue, and more effort...

Childcare rebate changes: Demand for Queensland nannies rises
The Courier Mail - Lauren Martyn-Jones - May 12, 2018

QUEENSLAND families crippled by high childcare costs are going to extreme lengths, including moving house and renovating, to make room for a live-in nanny. Nanny agencies are being inundated with calls from parents, particularly in the upper income brackets, who are going...

Change for the better for working mums
Sydney Morning Herald - Jacqueline Maley - May 12, 2018

But there is a catch. In order to access taxpayer funds to help pay for your childcare, you have to be contributing (directly) to the economy. The rebate is tied to an "activity test" - you must show you are doing at least four hours a week of work (paid or volunteer) or study to claim it...

Two Queensland early learning services closing due to oversupply
Mirage News - May 11, 2018

Two early learning (childcare) services on the Gold Coast alone, are closing due to oversupply and unsustainable occupancy. This contradicts a recent report that the early childhood education and care sector's fears of oversupply are unfounded. "New early learning services currently being...

Hundreds of new childcare places coming to central Manly
News.com.au - Kathryn Welling - May 11, 2018

WORKING families in Manly will have almost 300 new childcare places to choose from as two major centres open in the heart of the suburb. The private centres will offer at least 11 hours of care Monday to Friday and offer care for babies and preschoolers as well as support families with extra meals...

Private investors snap up $43m of childcare centres
Financial Review - Larry Schlesinger - May 10, 2018

Private investors have pounced on an offering of 12 childcare centres in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, with 11 of them selling in 10 days for a combined $43 million. The centres, which were offered as part of Burgess Rawson auctions, sold on yields ranging from 5.4 per centre for a $4.9 million...

G8 Education keen for another look at Affinity
Business News Australia- May 10, 2018

CHILDCARE operator G8 Education (ASX:GEM) may be keen for a second bite at Affinity Education more than two years after botching a takeover of its former Gold Coast-based rival. Private equity group Anchorage Capital Partners has placed Affinity on the market after successfully fending...

Welfare payments to be docked as 'no jab, no pay' legislation clears parliament
Illawarra Mercury - Matt Coughlan - May 10, 2018

Parents whose children don't meet immunisation requirements will have their welfare payments docked $28 a fortnight after legislation cleared parliament. Under the federal government's tougher "no jab, no pay" policy, fortnightly Family Tax Benefit Part A payments will be reduced from July...

Antivax teacher unlikely to lose registration
Herald Sun - Aneeka Simonis - May 10, 2018

The post appeared to encourage parents of children infected with measles to share the highly contagious disease with her own two kids. Her comments sparked widespread concern within the community, with Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy blasting the teacher as "irresponsible"...

Childcare centre oversupply unfounded
Financial Review - Su-Lin Tan - May 9, 2018

Fears of an oversupply of childcare centres in major capital cities are unfounded, commercial real estate agents say. The childcare property sector remains buoyant with strong demand from investors and customers leading to low vacancies in childcare centres in metropolitan areas...

Federal Budget 2018: Why fixing bracket creep is best for the poorest workers
Financial Review - Grant Wardell-Johnson - May 9, 2018

The interaction of our tax system and family payments and child care systems can produce highly problematic results whereby the effective tax rate on an additional dollar of earnings for a second earner, usually women, looking to move from 3 days a week to 4 or 5 days a week can be...

Missed opportunity on quality early learning
Education HQ - May 9, 2018

The early childhood sector continues to be concerned about the Federal Government's lack of clear policy objectives and investment strategy in early learning. With the new Child Care Subsidy due to be implemented from July 2018, estimated expenditure has been revised down again...

BECIS able to cater to older children with funding changes
Western Advocate - Rachel Chamberlain - May 9, 2018

She hopes that by publicising the changes at BECIS that those families will be able to cut down on travel for their childrens' needs. "It is absolutely vital for families to have access to a range of specialist support services, things like occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy...

Here's what the Federal Budget means for you
Daily Telegraph - John Rolfe - May 9, 2018

WORKING parents on middle incomes who have young kids are the biggest winners in this Budget. These households are set to receive tax cuts of $1000 a year on top of even larger amounts of recently legislated childcare fee help. Most of the tax relief in this Budget is paid as a lump sum...

Federal Budget 2018: Tax relief for five million families
Daily Telegraph - Kylar Loussikian - May 9, 2018

But a PwC analysis conducted for The Daily Telegraph shows the benefits of the initial tax cut is smaller than that of the higher childcare rebate announced earlier this year. A family of two with two children, with both parents earning $75,000, will get a $1433 childcare rebate bump compared...