Child Care News
Is the Greens' proposal for a four-day working week a good idea?
News.com.au - Charis Chang - March 15, 2017Prof Borland said the argument about child care also seemed "weird" because the only way to reduce the pressure on child care was to reduce the total amount of work being done. If people did adopt four day working weeks, and others in the market took up the slack, then the demand for child care...
Fight to access childcare for farming families not over
Queensland Country Life - MP Cathy McGowan - March 15, 2017WHAT will it take to get childcare for rural and remote families on the government's agenda? Providing secure access to childcare is one of the single most powerful things the government could do for regional productivity. In refusing my amendments to its Omnibus Bill in the...
Anti-vax playgroup advertised in Melbourne's outer-eastern suburbs
The Age - Marissa Calligeros - March 15, 2017A playgroup for unvaccinated children in Melbourne's outer-eastern suburbs has been advertised online, sparking concerns from one parent who was invited to join and the state's Health Minister. Melbourne mother Allie was sent an invitation last weekend via the social networking website meetup.com to...
Kids show grit to overcome tough starts in life: research
The Australian - Stefanie Balogh - March 14, 2017One in four of the nation's most disadvantaged children have tapped into their Australian battler spirit with new research into resilience revealing their ability to draw on other strengths to overcome challenges. The Multiple Strengths Indicator analysis is a world-first look at the strengths Australian...
How dads can fight for part-time work
Sydney Morning Herald - Caitlin Fitzsimmons - March 14, 2017Of the 20 countries in the study, Australia has fewer mothers in the workforce than all but two - Ireland and Turkey. Having a partner matters hugely in Australia. Only one out of two lone mothers works outside the home, compared with two out of three partnered mothers. By contrast, women's...
Banning unvaccinated kids from child care may have unforeseen consequences
The Conversation - C Raina MacIntyre - March 14, 2017But we need to ask whether coercion is ethical and equitable, and whether there are better ways to improve immunisation rates. There's also the question of whether vaccinating a child by coercion, for instance to secure a place at child care, breaches principles of valid consent. The Australian...
Unvaccinated children and childcare centres
RN Breakfast - Fran Kelly - March 13, 2017Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has written to state and territory leaders urging them to ensure unvaccinated children are not enrolled in childcare centres. This was after Pauline Hanson accused the federal government of blackmailing parents with its no job no pay' policy, a remark she later...
Stay-at-home mothers a drain on the economy? Actually, the problem might lie with men
The Guardian - Greg Jericho - March 14, 2017What the report addressed is that many women with children have significant barriers to work - such as the cost and lack of access to childcare, and long periods out of the workforce - which see such women in effect left behind in their careers despite a generally above-average education attainment...
NT doctors back plan to stop unvaccinated children from enrolling in child care
ABC News - Lucy Marks - March 13, 2017Northern Territory doctors have supported calls by the Prime Minister to ban unvaccinated children from enrolling in child care, while concerns have been raised about excluding vulnerable children from education. Yesterday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wrote to all state and territory leaders, urging...
Childcare centre shortages occur because they're built where land is cheapest, not where demand is highest
The Advertiser - Eugene Boisvert - March 13, 2017CHILDCARE centres are being built where land is cheapest and not where demand is highest, distorting the market and causing a glut of availability in some suburbs and extreme shortages in others. The Australian Childcare Alliance has called on Education Minister Simon Birmingham to consider...
Trust issues mean many stay-at-home fathers lead isolated lives
The Australian - Michaela Boland - March 13, 2017Shaw says men are excluded from the female networks that begin with mothers' group and evolve through preschool and school, and while mothers often include the children of male caregivers in their orbit, the men tend not to be given reciprocal care of other children. "This isolation increases...
Parents are left in the dark over the quality of childcare. It's not good enough
Sydney Morning Herald - Jessica Irvine - March 12, 2017Many parents worry about the rising cost of childcare, but ask any parent what matters most and it's quality of care that counts. But parents today are woefully ill-informed when it comes to the quality of care on offer. Some progress has been made. It was former Labor politician and journalist...
Public health experts welcome Malcolm Turnbull's tough vaccines push
Sydney Morning Herald - Fergus Hunter - March 12, 2017Public health experts have welcomed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's renewed vaccinations push, which could see unvaccinated children barred from childcare and preschool facilities across Australia. While NSW, Victoria and Queensland already have restrictions in place, all other states and...
PM pushes for childcare ban for unvaccinated children
The Australian - March 12, 2017Unvaccinated children will not be allowed into childcare centres or preschool under a tough new proposal put forward by the federal government. Malcolm Turnbull has written to state and territory leaders demanding they introduce nationally consistent laws to protect children and has vowed to take the...
PM Turnbull takes hard stance on vaccinations
Sky News - March 12, 2017Malcolm Turnbull is confident his plan to ban unvaccinated children from childcare centres and pre-schools will be enforced Australia-wide. The prime minister has written to state and territory leaders asking them to support a national policy and more consistent laws. Parents needed to know if they...
