Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Social Services. Will the minister update the House on what the government has done to make it easier for families to get into work, stay in work or work more?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bowman for his question. I know he would be very pleased to know that since the last election more than 170,000 more women are now in work than at the time of the last election—more than 170,000! We know that more women and more families want to be in work; they want to work more and they want to have more days in work. We know that, and that is why we have crafted a package of some $3½ billion to ensure that families can have more affordable access to quality child care. It includes $30 extra a week in support that would see them have better access to affordable child care. It means removing the cap on middle- to low-income families so they can access that child care, and it means better support for families with children with disabilities so they can access that child care.

We also know that affordable child care needs to be affordable for the taxpayer. Those opposite do not seem to understand that. They are happy to shovel the money out the door but they are not happy to commit to the savings that are necessary to fund their policies. As a result, the opposition's policy on child care is a vapour. It is an absolute vapour because it is not funded. Alternatively, what those opposite did when they were in government—where we have put forward a policy for affordable child care—was that they had a $300 million fund to enable the childcare centres who signed up with United Voice and other unions to get the dollars. So, a $300 million fund and they signed it off on the day before the election. They put it out so that the unions got around $70 million. There is not a payment that the government provides that those opposite would not use to butter up their union mates. This government, this Prime Minister, this side of the House will never be bullied by unions and we will never be bought by unions