Child Care News
'Hotbed of shonks': Turnbull launches crackdown on dodgy family daycare
Sydney Morning Herald - Adam Gartrell - February 27, 2017The Turnbull government is launching a major crackdown on "shonks and rorters" in the family daycare sector, with new measures designed to save taxpayers up to $250 million. The government will introduce regulations into Parliament on Monday to set tighter controls to stamp out abuse of the...
Money on offer in bid to encourage working families into foster care
ABC News - Josh Bavas - February 26, 2017Now in a bid to lure more foster carers into the system, Minister for Child Safety Shannon Fentiman has pledged $15 million over four years to help cover childcare and kindergarten costs for foster families in the hope of luring more carers into the system. For the first time, foster carers would be...
Porter 'testing' the crossbench waters over omnibus bill
The Australian - Rosie Lewis - February 23, 2017The government says negotiations with key Senate crossbenchers on its omnibus savings bill are "very much alive", despite apparently growing opposition to the package. Social Services Minister Christian Porter conceded he may have to accept a wound-back version of the bill after The...
Pauline Hanson is out of touch when it comes to the high cost of raising children
Sydney Morning Herald - Stephanie Peatling - February 23, 2017The legislation slices and dices the Youth Allowance and the dole not to mention family tax payments and paid parental leave. It represents a significant winding back of government payments. Which suggests the opposition from parties such as One Nation is less about reducing people's...
Hanson: One Nation won't support omnibus
The Australian - Joe Kelly - February 23, 2017The government has failed to secure the crucial support of Pauline Hanson for its omnibus bill without major changes, as the One Nation leader suggests women who work part-time will deliberately get pregnant to access paid parental leave payments tied to the package. In a major setback for the...
Childcare provider embroiled in new wage theft case
Sydney Morning Herald - Nick Toscano - February 21, 2017A childcare provider, whose owner has previously been rebuked as a remorseless offender of wage violations, is embroiled in fresh claims of exploiting low-paid staff. The Academy for Kids childcare centre in Melbourne's south-east will face court later this month after an investigation...
Six years of childcare? The total cost came as a shock - Care for those crucial years comes with a hefty price tag
Sydney Morning Herald - Stephanie Peatling - February 21, 2017Later this year our family will say goodbye to six years of childcare. Six years of wonderful educators who have done everything for our two children three days a week nearly every week of the year. For not much more money than someone who stacks supermarket shelves, these people have read to...
Crunching the numbers. Is a nanny affordable?
News.com.au - Kate Calacouras - February 21, 2017According to the ABS, only 10 per cent of families with young kids in Australia have two full time working parents. And there's a reason for that. It's bloody tough; nearly impossible to manage life outside of work if you're both expected in the office 40 hours a week. Not only are there daycare pick-ups...
Arena REIT hails childcare reforms
The Australian - Elizabeth Redman - February 21, 2017Childcare centre landlord Arena REIT says the federal government's childcare reforms will be a positive if passed by the Senate and that the $3 billion of extra funding is a "common sense" reform. "It seems to be tied up in political negotiation (but) we're hoping this will go through," Arena REIT managing...
Government may salvage child care from omnibus crash
Financial Review - Phillip Coorey - February 20, 2017The federal government and the Nick Xenophon Team are quietly confident they can agree on enough budget cuts to at least enable the Coalition to implement its child care reform package. Senator Xenophon announced last week that he and his two Senate colleagues would not be voting for the...
Murdered Townsville tot Mason Parker remembered as Mason's Law rolled out in Queensland
Courier Mail - Rachel Riley - February 20, 2017DOZENS of early childhood educators were shut out of child safety workshops with the State Government forced to put on more to meet demand ahead of the introduction of Mason's Law. Mundingburra MP Coralee O'Rourke on Friday confirmed Early Childhood Education and Care Mandatory Reporting...
Childcare group G8 eyes China expansion
News.com.au - Lilly Vitorovich - February 20, 2017G8 Education is growing at home and could expand into China after a Hong Kong-based investment company agreed to buy a $213 million stake in the childcare provider. G8, which owns 510 childcare centres in Australia and Singapore under 20 brands including First Grammar, Jellybeans, Penguin...
Childcare landlord Arena REIT upgrades full-year guidance
Financial Review - Nick Lenaghan - February 20, 2017Childcare landlord Arena REIT has upgraded its 2017 full-year distribution guidance after increasing its interim earnings with strong rental growth and lower debt costs. The $470 million landlord, which owns childcare centres and a small group of medical centres, lifted its full-year forecast to 12¢ per...
Timber's green shoots: Hume, Vin Harink to build CLT childcare centre
Financial Review - Michael Bleby - February 19, 2017Hume Partners Property, the developer behind Melbourne's tallest timber commercial tower, is also building its smallest – a single-storey childcare centre. The company backed by BRW Rich-Lister Peter Scanlon has partnered with childcare industry veteran Vin Harink to build Australia''s first childcare...
Gap crisis: give indigenous services the respect they deserve
The Australian - Victoria Laurie - February 18, 2017She says the Closing the Gap report is accurate when it calls for "better integration of services across health, childcare, early childhood education and school". "Many of us are deeply concerned about the future of early childhood and parental support centres around Australia," she says. "Under changes...
