Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Jobs for Families Child Care Package) Bill 2016. We all know that prior to the 2013 election the Liberals promised more affordable and accessible child care, but what has happened? They went the whole last term of parliament without doing anything at all about childcare costs for ordinary Australian families. A child born when the Liberals first promised more affordable child care will be in school by the time the government deliver. Early education and care are an investment in our future. The government need to listen to the experts, fix their package and just stop playing silly political games.

Labor still has some quite serious concerns about the childcare package. It is interesting that after two years the government are insisting that the only way we can pay for childcare changes is by cutting family payments. They will argue that they are freezing the family tax benefit. But, if freezing that is not cutting it, I am not quite sure what is, because, unfortunately, the cost of living will still keep going up every year, and the family tax benefit will not. It was quite encouraging yesterday to see them finally cave in after I do not know how long—months and months—and remove the link to the omnibus cuts. I still have not worked out what deal was done—I am sure eventually we will find out—but they at least separated them.

There is nothing new about the problems with this bill. We have been pointing out the flaws to the government for years. As Senator Polley said, there have been no fewer than three Senate inquiries where concerns have been raised. Concerns have been repeatedly pointed out by us, over many months and years, and they have been raised frequently by early childhood experts and the sector. So it is not just Labor that has these concerns. Today I read a media statement by Early Childhood Australia. I will read it into Hansard, because I think it is a very sensible media release. It is headed 'Crossbench must stand firm on childcare bill amendments in best interest of children,' and reads:

Early Childhood Australia calls on the cross bench to stand firm in negations with the Government around the child care package or block the bill in the Senate if key amendments are not made.

"We are calling on the Xenophon team and other Crossbench Senators to at least support an increase to 15 hours of care as a baseline to allow the most vulnerable children consistent access to 2 days of care a week,” CEO Sam Page said.

"Early Childhood Australia has consistently argued that a minimum of 15 hours early childhood education per week is in the best interests of children and that we only supported the Bill if this was included.

"We call on the Senate to block the Bill today, unless there is an amendment to increase the base entitlement to 15 hours a week.

"We also need the income threshold for a base level of care increase to $100,000 and make changes to the activity test to make it more flexible for families who are in casual or unpredictable work situations.

"Without these amendments families with only one partner working and earning more than $65,000 per year would receive ZERO child care subsidies and face the full cost of child care fees. They are unlikely to be able to afford this on such a low wage and their children risk missing out on the benefits of quality early learning.

"The Bill also needs to lift the support to Indigenous children who are twice as like to enter school developmentally vulnerable, and who need guaranteed support to at least 3 days of care under the new package. Then we may actually start to see the gap actually closing on early learning indicators.

"We are concerned at reports that the Government has stepped away from their commitment to increase the hours for the most vulnerable children in the community," …

That was put out by Early Childhood Australia, which is the peak advocacy body for children under eight and their families and early childhood professionals.

It is not only Early Childhood Australia and the Labor Party that have concerns. Twenty-one experts and early childhood stakeholders signed a letter saying they did not support the changes in their current form and that they wanted to see an increase in the proposed level of base entitlement for subsidised care to a minimum of two days, not the twelve hours proposed in this bill. These stakeholders and organisations are Australian Childcare Alliance, Early Childhood Australia, Early Learning and Care Council of Australia, Family Day Care Australia, Goodstart Early Learning, Early Learning Association Australia, Early Childhood Management Services, KU Children's Services, The Creche and Kindergarten Association, UnitingCare Australia, Mission Australia, Anglicare Australia, SDN Children's Services, Gowrie Australia, Bestchance Child Family Care, The Benevolent Society, Social Ventures Australia, Brotherhood of St Laurence, United Voice, The Parenthood and Affinity Education Group. These are the people who work in the childcare industry. They do not sit behind a desk all day, every day. They understand the industry. They know what they are talking about. They know what is required for the children of Australia. It is high time that the government started to listen to people. We know it does not in other areas and has had to do numerous backflips in a range of portfolio areas, but this sector is the future of Australia.

We have said we would support the government's proposed changes if it fixed its package. Unfortunately, it has brought it into the Senate today, and it is still not fixed. Analysis by the ANU shows that these childcare changes will leave 330,000, or one in three, families worse off and 126,000 no better off. That is almost half of all families—555,000 families—that will be worse off or no better off. Over 71,000 families with an income below $65,000 will be worse off. The harsh activity test will leave children in 150,000 families worse off.

Experts and people in the industry have been calling on the government—it seems like forever—to drop its cynical political link between family tax benefit cuts and childcare changes; fix its harsh activity test, which will hurt vulnerable children; and better protect Indigenous children and services, but the government has not been listening. Many of these organisations have called on the government, as I said, to make sure vulnerable and disadvantaged children continue to have access to at least two days early education a week. The international best practice benchmark is 15 hours. But the bill before the Senate will cut in half access to early education for many vulnerable and disadvantaged children. As someone who worked in the childcare industry as an early childhood educator for nearly 12 years, can I say that cutting access to early education will only exacerbate the problems of these children.

Early education should be recognised for its powerful ability to solve social problems and to address disadvantage in the long term. I have heard things about this in this chamber before. I doubt that anyone else in this chamber has worked in this industry but me; I am pretty sure that none of the men on the other side have worked in the childcare industry. In fact, I am pretty sure that none of the men on this side have either! But let me just say that when I hear a senator come into this place—this happened a few weeks ago—and talk about early childhood educators, that all they do is wipe snotty noses and stop fighting between the kids, I am gobsmacked. Am I allowed to say 'gobsmacked', Mr Acting Deputy President?