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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/23/australian-government-urged-to-guarantee-three-days-of-childcare-a-week-for-all-children-under-five>
"All children in Australia under the age of five should be able to access at
least three days of childcare a week regardless of their parents’ work and
income circumstances, the Productivity Commission has said.
Labor tasked the commission with investigating the design of an affordable,
accessible, high-quality, universal early education system in February,
including a universal 90% subsidy rate to families for childcare fees, which
the Albanese government has floated as an aspiration.
In its first draft report, released on Thursday night, the commission said the
federal government should ensure all children were able to access at least
three days of childcare a week, regardless of their parents’ circumstances,
under a universal system.
“The system can only be universal if every child is welcome,” the commissioner,
Martin Stokie, said. “The Australian government should increase funding to
enable the inclusion of all children regardless of their ability or cultural
background.”
The associate commissioner, Deborah Brennan, said: “A child’s entitlement to at
least three days of ECEC [early childhood education and care] a week should not
depend on how much their parents work.
“Providing further support for lower‑income families will ensure that cost does
not prevent children from accessing education and care.”
Labor’s own childcare changes, an election promise that came into effect in
July 2023, increased the subsidy to 90% for families with income under $80,000.
The subsidy tapers down from 90% for households that bring in above that
threshold, depending on income.
The Productivity Commission recommended further raising the maximum rate of the
childcare subsidy to 100% for households on incomes up to $80,000, which the
commission said accounted for about 30% of all families with young children.
The report also recommended relaxing the activity test on accessing the
childcare subsidy so it does not present as a barrier to accessing care.
It said it would conduct further modelling and analysis of a possible universal
90% subsidy, though it noted the main beneficiaries would be higher-income
families, as many low-income families already receive subsidies at 90% or
higher. The commission has also been asked to consider any workforce
participant benefits of childcare reform."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
