Child Care News
Joe Hockey 'out of touch' with most Australians, say workers
Sydney Morning Herald - Anna Patty - June 10, 2015Joe Hockey's challenge to house-hunters to find higher paying jobs has insulted nurses, teacher and childcare workers who say he is "out of touch" with hard-working Australians. Amy Bell, who works as an early childhood educator in Randwick, said Mr Hockey was "out of touch" with most...
Blow to Abbott's paid parental leave cuts, as PUP senator calls changes 'not acceptable'
Sydney Morning Herald - Judith Ireland - June 8, 2015The Abbott government's plan to change parental leave entitlements to about 80,000 new mothers faces a rocky ride through the Parliament. With Labor and the Greens strongly opposed to the $1 billion paid parental leave cut, the government needs six of the eight Senate crossbenchers to...
International experts criticise Australian childcare plan
The Age - Judith Ireland - June 8, 2015International childcare experts have criticised the Coalition's move to make parents work to get childcare funding, describing it as a "retrograde step" that will hurt vulnerable families who are most in need of early learning and care. They have also questioned the government's focus on...
WorkReady training reforms could push up childcare fees
The Advertiser - Tim Williams - June 8, 2015THE State Government's training shake-up could lead to higher childcare fees and put centres at risk of not complying with tougher staffing rules, industry leaders say. The new WorkReady policy, which takes effect on July 1, allocates all 750 subsidised places for childcare diplomas to TAFE...
Samantha Maiden: Single-income and sole-parent families hardest hit by family tax cuts
Daily Telegraph - Samantha Maiden - June 7, 2015For starters, there's last year's decision to strip single-income families entirely of Family Tax Benefit B when their youngest child turns six. According to evidence to Senate estimates last week, the FTB cuts will hit half a million families, helping to strip $8.5 billion in payments that they might...
Trade union deals quite often don't pay off for workers
The Australian - June 6, 2015 - Judith SloanIn terms of the childcare fund, it was a case of first in, first served. Those in the know (the preferred childcare providers and the union) were able to manipulate the system to secure funding that would cover only about 30 per cent of childcare workers. The fund was fully subscribed in 13...
Eddy Groves 'hasn't seen' scathing ABC Learning judgment
The Courier Mail - Liam Walsh - June 5, 2015Mr Groves, 48, was back in Australia this week but the former ABC chief executive says he has not even seen the damning Queensland District Court judgment. Nor did he want to speak about how his subordinate, ABC's former chief financial officer James Black, had pleaded guilty to providing...
Volunteer work may not qualify parents for childcare support, Senate estimates told
Sydney Morning Herald - Judith Ireland - June 5, 2015Some types of volunteer work could be ruled ineligible for parents seeking to qualify for childcare subsidies, a Senate committee has heard. Department of Social Services officials told a Senate estimates hearing on Friday that it needs to confirm exactly which forms of volunteering will be...
Coalition's childcare claims based on limited online survey, Senate hears
The Guardian - Shalailah Medhora - June 5, 2015The federal government's much touted claim that 240,000 more families will join paid work as a result of its childcare package is based on an online survey of just 2,000 people, a Senate estimates committee has revealed. The Department of Social Services told Senate estimates...
Baby leave cuts hurt low-paid
The West Australian - Andrew Tillett - June 5, 2015The Government announced in last month's Budget that it would tighten eligibility for taxpayer-funded paid parental leave from July next year and pump almost $1 billion of savings into child care. New parents would no longer be able to claim 18 weeks of taxpayer-funded parental...
Perth worst capital to get child care
The West Australian - Kate Emery - June 3, 2015Perth trails the nation in child care, with the fewest places per capita of any Australian capital. It also has the equal fewest places for before and after-school care, and Perth women are less likely to have access to spouse and family support because of the State's high number of migrants...
Australian first for early childhood students
NewsMail - June 2, 2015This is believed to be an Australian first, as the first year of the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) degree has been written and developed to include all the learning elements from the Diploma qualification. The students are enrolled in the degree and at the same time are earning...
Mandatory sex abuse education across Australia is needed says Tea TGully councillor Paula Luethen-Soper
News.com.au - Elizabeth Henson - June 2, 2015The Tea Tree Gully councillor has started an online petition, requesting the Federal Government make child care centres and primary schools deliver the program. "I want to raise awareness because I cannot accept that this many Australian children are being hurt," Ms Luethen-Soper...
Childcare operator G8 buys another eight centres
The Australian - Kylar Loussikian - June 2, 2015Australia's largest listed childcare operator, G8 Education, has purchased another eight facilities for $12.06 million as it continues a rapid expansion. The acquisitions follow the purchase of 12 centres in February, increasing the number of childcare places by 855 to 35,125 across Australia...
Looking inside the sausage machine: the budget is still unfair
The Conversation - Peter Whiteford and Daniel Nethery - June 2, 2015The childcare package is the centrepiece of the budget for households. It is estimated to cost A$4.4 billion over 4 years. In isolation, the package appears progressive and increases assistance more for low and middle income families than for higher income families, with the subsidy for childcare...
