Child Care News
Galaxy Poll: 86 per cent of Australians want childhood vaccination to be compulsory
Sunday Telegraph - Samantha Maiden - April 5, 2015AUSTRALIANS want Prime Minister Tony Abbott to make childhood vaccination compulsory and close loopholes that allow vaccine refusers to put all children at risk. An exclusive national Galaxy poll commissioned by The Sunday Telegraph has revealed overwhelming support to ensure…
Scott Morrison says Abbott government won't rush in on funding for nannies in May budget
Sydney Morning Herald - Judith Ireland - April 3, 2015There is uncertainty over whether the federal government will include funding for nannies in its upcoming childcare package. As Social Services Minister Scott Morrison prepares a new families policy for release "around" the May budget, there are doubts within the early childhood sector...
Preschool and kindergarten fees could dramatically increase under funding cut
NEWS.com.au - April 2, 2015EXCLUSIVE: PARENTS could be hit with a 70 per cent increase in preschool and kindergarten fees or a reduction in hours if the government refuses to fund a key program beyond this year. More than $1.6 billion of funding for the Universal Access to Early Childhood Education scheme could be...
Minimum work test will block childcare for 100,000 mothers, Scott Morrison warned
Sydney Morning Herald - Judith Ireland - March 31, 2015There are fears more than 100,000 mothers will be forced to give up work if the Abbott government cracks down on the number of hours parents have to work in order to receive childcare subsidies. The country's peak children's body, Early Childhood Australia, is calling on the government....
Former ABC Learning CFO James Black cops 18 month sentence but will spend it out of jail
Courier Mail - Liam Walsh - March 31, 2015THE former chief financial officer of collapsed childcare giant ABC Learning Centres has copped an 18-month sentence - but will spend it out of jail - after pleading guilty to providing $46 million worth of misleading information. The District Court conviction against James Black marks the sole...
Minister urges childcare centres to be 'flexible, innovative and affordable'
Daily Telegraph - Errol Smith - March 31, 2015Owners of Central Coast childcare centres have been encouraged to be flexible, innovative and affordable by Social Services Minister Scott Morrison. He accompanied Dobell federal Liberal MP Karen McNamara on an inspection of the Goodstart Early Learning Childcare Centre at...
Settlement delay hits G8 Education
The Australian - Michael Roddan - March 31, 2015Childcare provider G8 Education has been hit with a delayed settlement for eight childcare centres it intends to acquire, sending the group's share price down in early trade. G8 Education last August flagged the takeover of 25 premium childcare and education centres from a number of...
Woman nets $3 million from false childcare subsidies: police
The Age - Marissa Calligeros - March 31, 2015A woman has been found with a cash stash of more than $2 million after allegedly falsely claiming government childcare subsidies. The 27-year-old family day care centre director from Albury was allegedly involved in a childcare racket operating on the Victoria-NSW border. She was arrested...
Can't wait to find budget breadcrumbs
The Australian - Judith Sloan - March 30, 2015Selectively quoting the Productivity Commission report on childcare and early childhood learning, he informs the partyroom there are 165,000 parents with children aged under 13 who would like to work but are unable to. Apart from the unreliability of this figure - answers to hypothetical...
Harper's competition a threat to public services: ACOSS
Financial Review - Katie Walsh - March 30, 2015"Experiences of privatisation in health, childcare and employment services point to price inflation, higher costs to government, less collaboration and questionable outcomes for the community," she said. Dr Goldie said competition could result in a "race to the bottom on price", forcing providers...
Axe swings on family day care in Frankston, carers up in arms
Herald Sun - Christian Tatman - March 30, 2015FAMILY day care providers are in tears after Frankston Council effectively axed its program. Several providers, who asked not to be named, told the Leader they were stunned by the decision. "It's just not fair. Those kids are part of my family and I know a lot of educators feel the same...
Childcare pricing plan lags behind real fees
Sydney Morning Herald - Judith Ireland - March 29, 2015The Abbott government is considering how to limit extra spending on childcare while minimising the number of families left worse off. Three out of four childcare centres in Sydney are charging well above the Productivity Commission's proposed "benchmark" fees, new analysis reveals, as the...
Melbourne childcare centres charge well above Productivity Commission's proposed 'benchmark' fees
The Age - Judith Ireland - March 29, 2015The vast majority of childcare centres in Melbourne are charging well above the Productivity Commission's proposed "benchmark" fees, a new analysis reveals, as the federal government prepares to overhaul its $7 billion-a-year policy. In a report released last month, the commission...
Family day-care numbers explode across Victoria
The Age - Alana Schetzer - March 29, 2015The number of childcare educators operating out of family homes across the country has skyrocketed in the past year, as more parents struggle to find a place for their child in a traditional facility. The number of services rose 40 per cent in the 12 months to June 30, 2014, with most...
Morrison talks up childcare in budget
The Australian - Andrew Drummond - March 27, 2015SOCIAL Services Minister Scott Morrison has thrilled toddlers with the tale of a didgeridoo-playing kangaroo. BUT Australian families will hope he was not telling stories regarding his commitment to deliver improved childcare services in the May budget. The federal MP visited an early-learning...
