Child Care News
Tony Abbott still struggling to get Senate support for budget measures
Sydney Morning Herald - Adam Gartrell - May 31, 2015Social Services Minister Scott Morrison wants the family tax benefits cuts proposed in last year's budget passed to pay for his new $3.5 billion childcare package. While Labor, the Greens and many crossbenchers appear to like the package itself they are steadfastly refusing to back the cuts...
Childcare industry wants Scott Morrison's subsidised nannies to be qualified
Sydney Morning Herald - Tim Barlass - May 31, 2015Nanny training schools and agencies have warned that the qualifications bar has been set too low for nannies who will work under a new federal government scheme to provide subsidised home care from next year. The few requirements for nannies to be subsidised under the $250 million...
Abbott and Hockey at odds over Labor's economic modelling of budget impacts
The Guardian - Lenore Taylor - May 27, 2015The social services minister, Scott Morrison, attacked the modelling for a different reason, saying Labor had selected the family examples used and pointing out that six of seven examples had not included families with preschool-age children, who would benefit most from the government's...
Comment: Short-change early childhood workers, and we short-change the future
SBS News - Sofi Grant - May 27, 2015I would love to say that I am well paid in my job, but as anyone who works in our sector will tell you, it's not money that keeps us here - it's the children. I have learned so much and grown enormously from the many children I've educated over these years. But it would be nice...
Vaccination debate: penalising parents is not the answer
Sydney Morning Herald - Dr Cassandra Dittman - May 27, 2015News that some parents are planning their own "vax-free" childcare centres, following the federal government's announcements of plans to restrict child care rebates to families of vaccinated children, should be a warning sign for population health policy advisers. It's just another twist...
Consumers need to see jobs budget working
9News.com.au - May 26, 2015But reports suggest the government may be ready to compromise on a plan to slash Family Tax Benefit Part B, possibly increasing the cut-off age for children to 10 or 12 years when the benefits cease rather than six. However, a new survey has found over half of voters back the...
Labor releases full budget modelling after Question Time debate
SBS.com.au - Stephanie Anderson - May 26, 2015Labor has caved to government pressure, releasing modelling on the Abbott Government's second budget in full. A small part of the modelling - commissioned by Labor and completed by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) - was released to media on Monday...
Tony Abbott's attitude to paid parental leave sells women short
Sydney Morning Herald - Conrad Liveris - May 26, 2015Women, as the majority of primary-parents, are being sold short. The federal government's policies to support women are vexed and send mixed messages. By pitting paid parental leave and childcare against each other nobody can win. Before the federal budget the Treasurer, Prime...
Scott Morrison opens door to welfare deal with Senate
The Australian - David Crowe - May 26, 2015The cut to FTB-B was unveiled in last year's budget but is now central to negotiations over this month's $3.5bn childcare package, with Mr Morrison asking for Senate approval for the old savings to help cover the cost of the new spending. Talks over the childcare package and related...
Tony Abbott vows to fight for welfare cuts, says a job is better
Financial Review - Phillip Coorey - May 25, 2015As Labor seeks to tar this month's federal budget with the same reputation for unfairness as last year, the Prime Minister stood by plans to cut welfare payments to fund the new childcare package, saying people were better off in work than at home collecting Family Tax Benefits. "Members...
Budget 2015: all that glisters isn't necessarily gold for poorer families
The Guardian - Lenore Taylor - May 25, 2015What we can see so far is that the extra money many low-and middle-income families get in childcare assistance is more than taken away, especially by the cuts to family tax benefits (first outlined in last year's budget) which the government now says are the only way it can pay for...
Property billionaire Harry Triguboff's $155m move into childcare
Financial Review - John Stensholt - May 25, 2015Harry Triguboff, Australia's biggest and richest property developer, is quietly moving into another hot market: childcare. Mr Triguboff, who will be one of the big movers on this year's BRW Rich List published this week, has been building childcare centres in new developments for his Meriton...
5 things employers can do to help women re-enter the workforce
Women's Agenda - Rebecca McIntosh - May 25, 2015Apart from supporting campaigns to encourage the government to revisit their policy there is wider responsibility the business community should acknowledge. PPL combined with other programs to support and help retain staff, have real impacts on productivity and make employees happier...
NATSEM analysis shows federal budget to hit the poor hardest, while rich benefit
The Age - Gareth Hutchens - May 25, 2015NATSEM divides the community into five segments, or quintiles, each with a little over 2.5 million families. It has found the government's families package - including its popular childcare payments - will benefit middle to high-income families more than low-income families. It has also found...
Women understand parental leave trade-off, says Michaelia Cash
Financial Review - Joanna Mather - May 25, 2015Families understand the trade-off between paid parental leave and childcare is necessary and fair, says the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women, Michaelia Cash. While the Coalition is limiting access to government-funded parental leave to save nearly $1 billion, it is spending...
