Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Child care is not an add-on or a nice-to-have; it's an essential service in a community where we want a thriving economy and maximum workforce participation. For parents, it allows them to work, to train or to study, to open doors and to provide for their families. For children, it keeps them safe and healthy, assists their development and builds their skills for school and into the future.

In June last year the government introduced the new childcare package, which it described as the most significant change to the early-learning and childcare system in 30 years. The bill we are discussing today, the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Building on the Child Care Package) Bill 2019, is required to address some of the unintended consequences—some might say teething problems—of the childcare package, including any unnecessary regulatory burden. These changes have come about based on the feedback from families in the childcare sector about concerns and possible improvements to the childcare package. They also reflect some of the findings of the interim report that the government commissioned. I recognise the government's efforts in listening to the feedback of the families' childcare providers in developing these amendments. It's this commitment to consultation on this momentous reform to childcare support that makes sure this reform reflects reality and delivers what it sets out to do. In child care, it's important that the voice of the user of the service is adequately reflected.

As the Independent member for Indi, I see my role as to neither support nor oppose whatever the government does and to look at legislation on its merits. I see my role as advocating for sensible, evidence based policy that addresses the needs of Indi and the needs of Australia. On this bill, I did consult with people affected by the bill to see whether it is realistic and will make lives better for families with children in child care. I sought the views of leading childcare providers and asked if the proposed changes were administratively burdensome for providers or, indeed, for families. I'm pleased to say that the providers were firmly in support of the amendments and reported that they would welcome them once the bill came into play. They're satisfied that the amendments, particularly the two main amendments, will improve the new childcare package system. The first is to extend the time frame for ceasing enrolments due to nonattendance from eight to 14 weeks. This will mean that children who use child care only during school holidays will not need to go through the tiresome paperwork of being re-enrolled every time. On this change, my constituents told me that this amendment will lessen the administrative burden for both the services and the parents. I recognise the work of the member for Mayo and her persistence in advocating on behalf of the Woodside Primary School out-of-school-hours care service for this really commonsense solution.

The second amendment removes the 50 per cent limit on the number of children that childcare providers can certify for additional childcare subsidy. As we know, the additional childcare subsidy is a top-up payment, in addition to the childcare subsidy, which provides targeted additional fee assistance to families and children facing barriers in accessing affordable child care. However, the 50 per cent cap has created unnecessary regulatory burdens for providers and caused delays for at-risk children accessing child care. My constituents told me that the removal of this cap will allow more flexibility for services to offer places for additional childcare subsidy children.

I'm pleased to support these amendments and the remainder of the bill. I do, however, wish to recommend that the government consider one further change to the childcare package system. This proposal has come from my constituent Tanya Scott, the CEO of Alpine Children's Services. Alpine Children's Services occupies places in Bright, Mount Beauty and Myrtleford. She's called for the childcare subsidy to be extended to children who need a second year of kindergarten, the year before school, where their parents do not meet the activity test. Currently, there is an exemption from the activity test for one year for parents of kindergarten children, whereby they're still eligible to receive childcare subsidy based on their income only. For children who would benefit from an additional year of kindergarten the removal of CCS from the second year means that these children are being pushed to school when they're not socially, emotionally or educationally ready. We know that the best start a child can get to school is if they're ready to start. Removing this restriction would be advantageous. I would recommend that the government consider this amendment, and I'll pursue this with the minister.

Thriving childcare services are critical everywhere, particularly in rural and regional areas, where they build community sustainability. Having services locally means that young families are able to live and work locally. If these childcare centres close then the community loses a main hub. Once the local childcare centre closes down, the parents must take their children somewhere else, which removes their connection with their local community. It leads to a flow-on effect with the child entering schooling in another town and subsequent potential school closures in their home town. It reduces employment opportunity for skilled childcare professionals and, indeed, for primary teachers, contributing ultimately to the desertification of small country towns.

The sustainability of rural and regional providers can be challenging given the low numbers of children enrolled on an ongoing basis and the sometimes transient populations in these communities, which makes it difficult for providers to plan ahead. The government has recognised that providers in rural and regional areas sometimes do it tough and offer support through the Community Child Care Fund, or the CCCF. The CCCF provides grants to childcare services to reduce barriers to accessing child care, particularly in disadvantaged, regional or remote communities. Minister Tehan's office has advised me that under the CCCF the government is providing $333 million to eligible providers to continue to operate. The majority of these providers are in regional and remote Australia, and I'm really pleased to hear this.

Last week, I was fortunate to see the Community Child Care Fund in action at the Bellbridge Early Years Learning Centre and see how important these targeted supports for rural and regional providers are, both for them and for their communities. I was delighted to get to see through a key piece of work which began before I was elected. In November last year, Albury Wodonga Community College announced that they would stop providing childcare services in the small community of Bellbridge, in the northern end of my electorate. Towong Shire Council stepped in and secured emergency funding, from education minister, Mr Dan Tehan, to keep Bellbridge open for another six months. In June this year the centre received an ongoing grant from the federal government's Community Child Care Fund, which will contribute to the centre's sustainability.

I commend the work of my predecessor, Cathy McGowan, in working with the minister; the shire of Towong and, most importantly, the Bellbridge community, parents and friends who helped make this happen. I was so delighted to join the community of Bellbridge on Friday to celebrate this ongoing government funding along with the mayor of Towong Shire and a senior adviser from Mr Tehan's office—this demonstrates to me the seriousness with which the minister sees this issue, and I thank him for that.

With certainty about their future and a guarantee of ongoing funding, the Bellbridge enrolment has grown from seven to 18. This is a story of success. However, we do have ongoing challenges in my electorate. Impending closures of Chiltern and Wodonga childcare services will leave families struggling to find alternatives, and people out of work, if another provider cannot be found before December 2020. Chiltern is a small community between Wangaratta and Wodonga, two regional cities with good job prospects. It has affordable housing and is attracting a growing number of families with young children. This is its only childcare service. The ramifications of closure will be wideranging. I understand that negotiations are ongoing to find a new provider; and I commend Indigo Shire, who are working very hard on the issue.

In conclusion, I congratulate the government on these reforms and its ongoing commitment to quality, accessible and affordable child care. I am looking forward to seeing the final evaluation report of the package in 2021 and whether there is a reduction in out-of-pocket costs for families across Australia and particularly in my electorate of Indi.

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