Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The member opposite mocks at this, but I am proud to be part of a government that is working in partnership with state and territory governments to implement a national quality framework that will lift the standard of child care across Australia. We believe in continuous improvement in this area. We believe that government has a role. We believe that we should not just leave it to the market to rip because we have seen the disastrous consequences of that with the recent collapse of ABC Learning.

Through the national quality framework we will improve staff-child ratios so that every child gets more individual care and attention. We will raise staff qualifications to ensure that staff are better able to lead activities that help children learn and develop and we will assist the workers in these childcare centres to acquire those qualifications and support them through that process. We will introduce a quality rating system for all childcare services so that parents know the quality of care on offer and can make informed choices. This, I can say through personal experience, is an important issue because most parents, and I am a parent with children in child care, have got so much going on in their working lives that they do not have the ability to do a detailed audit of all the childcare services available in their area and it will be of great assistance to know that an accredited childcare provider will meet a national standard and will be, at the very least, complying with a quality rating system for all equivalent childcare services.

We will in the same process reduce red tape related to services, particularly by having a single national provider so that providers only have to deal with one regulator—they can spend less time on paperwork and more time with the kids in their care. There is no doubt that parents see quality child care as an important issue and are willing to pay a small amount more to get the best start in life for their children. We have been upfront with families and the sector about these moderate cost changes and we have made sure that the changes will be introduced over a number of years so that the cost increases will be gradual. Hopefully, as the economy recovers, as we fully expect it will due to the work of this Labor government in partnership with workers and businesses throughout Australia, we will be able to ensure in the years ahead that any increases in costs will be offset by increases in wages.

We have undertaken this important reform because we know that the research tells us that the early years shape the future happiness, the future health and the future wellbeing of our children. It is therefore disappointing that the Leader of the Opposition wanted to put the national quality standard on hold indefinitely. Indeed, when you read and study what the standard is about, it is hard to believe that any reasonable-minded Australian could disagree with what is being proposed. Federal Labor believe that we can and must do more when it comes to the safety, wellbeing and early learning of our children. That is what parents expect of us and, through our quality reforms, that is exactly what we will deliver.

On this side of the House, we are readying our economy for the challenges of the future. We are ensuring that our children are ready for that future. That includes providing Australian families with access to affordable, accessible, quality early education and child care. We are also building on the National Broadband Network, dealing with pricing carbon and tackling climate change and all the other costs that have been alluded to in the course of this debate to ensure that the working families that we represent have a decent shake at getting ahead in the years ahead. I commend the bill to the House and thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to speak on this important matter.

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