Child Care News
Now for Abbott's nanny state
Sydney Morning Herald - Stephanie Peatling - March 25, 2012Tony Abbott is planning to offer the childcare rebate for nannies as he pledges to make working mothers a key constituency in his bid to become prime minister. The Opposition Leader is keen to rebut perceptions of him as negative and anti-women...
Welcome to the nanny state
Sydney Morning Herald - Cosima Marriner - March 25, 2012Once solely found in the domains of rich people and families in Disney films, the humble, hard-working nanny is becoming a more viable childcare option for modern homes. Cathy Clark can't remember the last time a woman called her agency looking for a nanny to...
Abbott's change of heart
The Age - Misha Schubert - March 25, 2012Now - in an exclusive chat with this newspaper - he has dangled another carrot for feminists: the prospect of expanding taxpayer-funded childcare subsidies to other types of childcare that make life work for busy mums - that is, nannies...
It's all just part of the pain game
Sydney Morning Herald - Paul Daley - March 25, 2012The non-means-tested childcare rebate gives families back 50 per cent of their childcare expenses. It is a soft welfare measure that is anathema to many Labor backbenchers and ministers. They would prefer to see it means tested so that it only goes to...
Crackdown on cash-in-hand for nannies
Financial Times (UK) - Elaine Moore and Moira O’Neill - March 23, 2012Families who pay cash-in-hand wages to a nanny are facing a crackdown by HM Revenue & Customs, which intends to target the thousands of affluent households who are employing childcarers without paying tax...
Kindy's haves and have nots
Brisbane Times - Freya Petersen - March 23, 2012An uneven spread of child care and kindergarten services in Brisbane is causing anguish for parents and business owners alike, with some centres hopelessly oversubscribed while others struggle to survive...
Dads to get two weeks paid parental leave
Adelaide Now - March 22, 2012Paid parental leave will be extended to fathers from next year once new legislation is passed. Fathers and partners, including adopting parents and same sex couples, will be able to claim two weeks pay at the minimum wage under the scheme's extension...
'No politics' in new Ashgrove facility
Brisbane Times - Freya Petersen - March 21, 2012A new childcare "centre of excellence," part-funded by the state government, is slated to open in Ashgrove, the Brisbane suburb crucial to Labor's hopes of derailing Campbell Newman in the state election...
Gungahlin leisure centre designs unveiled
The Canberra Times - Lisa Cox - March 21, 2012The ACT government has completed its plans for a leisure centre for Gungahlin residents and will begin construction of the long-awaited facilities in August. The government unveiled finished designs for the $28.7 million centre...
New centres to provide parental support
PerthNow - Todd Cardy - March 20, 2012Child and Parent Centres will be built on the grounds of 10 public schools and provide services to families with young children, including children younger than school age, who need help with education, health and other support. Childcare, playgroups and...
Kate Ellis - Here's what you need to know about child care
Mamamia.com.au - Kate Ellis - March 20, 2012Child care used to be thought of in pretty basic terms. It was simply a group babysitting service so that parents could go to work. Not anymore. We now know that child care is about so much more than that – that’s why there have been debates, reform and huge new...
Wealthy families dominate after-school care
The Sydney Morning Herald - Adele Horin - March 19, 2012CHILDREN from well-off families are the biggest users of before-school and after-school care while those from low-income working families are missing out, a new study shows. Only 1 per cent of children in low-income working families use formal care outside school...
Gillard unveils $1.7b boost for TAFE to tackle skilled worker shortage
The Sydney Morning Herald - Phillip Coorey - March 19, 2012She has already announced that HECS-style loans - previously provided only to university students - will be made available for advanced diploma courses in fields such as information technology, childcare, aged care, engineering and telecommunications...
Poor language skills in prep students
Herald Sun - Lisa Power - March 16, 2012CHILDREN are starting school with the speech capacity of three-year-olds. Up to a quarter of prep students have poor language skills. Too much television and a lack of extended family may be to blame. Primary school teacher Sandra Smith has...
Kinders squeezed by shake-up
Herald Sun - Susie O'Brien - March 16, 2012Three-year-olds' kinder programs at preschools around the state are under threat, new surveys show. More than half of all Victorian kinders will cut three-year-olds' programs next year as the Federal Government demand to give all four-year-olds 15 hours of preschool a week...
