Child Care News
Top businesswomen back subsidised childcare over PPL
Financial Review - Nassim Khadem - July 23, 2014Leading businesswomen have renewed calls for the government to consider granting tax deductions for childcare. Assistant Minister for Education Sussan Ley said she was open to the idea, despite a Productivity Commission report saying it would benefit rich women. The draft report, released...
Productivity Commission support for relaxed visa rules for au pairs
Financial Review - Joanna Mather - July 23, 2014A nanny rebate and more relaxed visa conditions for live-in au pairs are among the recommendations being considered by Assistant Education Minister Sussan Ley. The Productivity Commission's draft report on childcare recommends allowing families to claim subsidies for care...
Rich families 'will be slugged by proposed reforms'
The Australian - Patricia Karvelas - July 23, 2014BIG business and Australia's largest childcare provider are concerned that families earning more than $160,000 a year will be financially hurt by recommendations to remake the childcare system. It comes as the Abbott government defends its plan for a generous paid parental leave scheme...
Prime Minister Tony Abbott dismisses childcare funding advice
Sydney Morning Herald - Judith Ireland - July 23, 2014Prime Minister Tony Abbott has dismissed a Productivity Commission suggestion that funds be redirected away from his signature paid parental leave scheme and into childcare services, arguing the two are "very separate issues". But the minister responsible for childcare, Sussan Ley...
Paid parental leave, childcare: worth doing despite the economics
The Age - Peter Martin - July 23, 2014Ask the minister responsible to explain Australia's present system of support for childcare and she can't. "It's impossible to explain," she told ABC radio on Tuesday. "The current payments are so complicated." Sussan Ley is not alone. Curtin University Professor Alan Duncan is an...
Parents and teachers don't notice bullied children
The Age - Miki Perkins - July 23, 2014If the thought of your child being bullied at school breaks your heart, then consider this - you might not even notice. Analysis of a study of more than 4000 children has found parents and teachers often do not realise children are being bullied. For more than half of the children who said they...
Coalition sticks with paid parental leave plan
Financial Review - Joanna Mather - July 22, 2014The federal government is refusing to back away from its generous paid parental leave scheme despite independent analysis that argues it won’t get more working women to have babies. Treasurer Joe Hockey defended the scheme after the Productivity Commission cast doubt on its...
Expert says 'Granny nannies' not on the cards
Sky News - July 22, 2014Grandparents are unlikely to become qualified nannies for their grandchildren despite a proposal to pay in-home child carers, an academic says. Evidence suggests grandparents play a complimentary role to the childcare system by filling in during school drop offs and pick-ups, according to...
Grannies as nannies unlikely if they have to go back to TAFE
Sydney Morning Herald - Rachel Browne - July 22, 2014Grannies are unlikely to become nannies any time soon, according to seniors advocates who predict a proposal to offer government subsidies for qualified grandparent carers will have a low take up. The Productivity Commission’s draft report into childcare has opened the door for tax...
Childcare plans fair and workable
Sydney Morning Herald - July 22, 2014Taxpayer-subsidised childcare will be cheaper, easier to find and more flexible for those who need it most if proposals from the Productivity Commission are implemented. The 40-odd recommendations in the commission's draft report should encourage more women into the...
Labor leaves door open to means testing for childcare
The Australian - Patricia Karvelas - July 22, 2014LABOR has left the door open for the first time to support means testing of the childcare system after running a strong campaign against it in the past, while the Abbott government defends its plan for a generous paid parental leave scheme despite the policy was criticised by the Productivity...
Childcare report: Government dismisses Productivity Commission swipe at paid parental leave
Sydney Morning Herald - Judith Ireland - July 22, 2014The Coalition has dismissed a Productivity Commission suggestion that funds be redirected away from Tony Abbott's paid parental scheme and into childcare services, arguing that the two are "separate things". But the minister responsible for childcare, Sussan Ley appeared open to the...
Extension of relief a waste of $8bn
The Australian - Judith Sloane - July 22, 2014THERE have been a lot of interested parties hanging out for the release of the draft report of the Productivity Commission on Childcare and Early Childhood Learning. There is a lot at stake for parents, providers and workers, as well as the government. Most of the recommendations...
Paid parental leave funds 'should go to childcare'
The Australian - Patricia Karvelas - July 22, 2014ALL parents will have access to a new single means and activity-tested childcare subsidy paid directly to their centre at a minimum of 30 per cent of their "reasonable childcare fees", under a major overhaul of the childcare system favoured by the Productivity Commission. Subsidies...
PM's advisers doubt paid parental leave plan will put more women in work
Financial Review - Joanna Mather - July 22, 2014More broadly, the report recommends a single, means-tested payment known as an "early care and learning subsidy" that could be used for the first time for registered nannies. "The recommended expansion in the range of approved subsidised services to include existing...
