Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

This motion on child care moved by the member for Moncrieff, the shadow minister, is an important one because it recognises that the Albanese government's cheaper child care policy has actually driven up the cost of early childhood education and care for families across Australia since it was implemented in July this year and that families across Australia continue to be unable to access early childhood education and care, particularly in regional and rural areas, which this side of the Houses, obviously, is particularly focused on.

In contrast to the comments of the previous speaker, the member for Reid, I note that the previous coalition government actually almost doubled childcare investment, to nearly $11 billion in 2022-23, and locked in ongoing funding for preschools and kindergartens. In fact, we made the biggest reforms of the childcare system in over 40 years. An ACCC report found that the average out-of-pocket cost to households had decreased since 2018, thanks to reforms undertaken by the coalition, which, as I said, were the biggest in 40 years.

It goes without saying that raising children is the most important responsibility for adults and parents in our country. The conversation occurring right now across Australia for those with young children—in their lounge rooms and in coffee shops and playgroups—is how does our family manage its budget with the cost-of-living challenges? Tough decision are being made by families every day.

We on this side of the House respect the need for choice and flexibility when it comes to the childcare and early childhood education system. We endeavour to have a light touch from government where we make it easier for families and parents and respect the choices they need to make. I fear that, in this place, we have become obsessed with a government sanctioned model of child care to the exclusion of all others, one that doesn't necessarily reflect the reality of life, particularly in rural and regional communities. We have become obsessed with long day child care at the expense of other models which families are seeking to explore to better fit their responsibilities and the way they manage their own family budgets.

I challenge those opposite to work with the opposition in this case and work with the shadow minister, who is leading the way in having conversations with families around the country about how different models of child care may suit the modern Australian family. Right now, we have families making the tough choice about whether they can afford to have another child. That's a very sad decision for a family to have to make if they're desiring to have another member of their family—to start a family or expand their family. I believe the government has a responsibility to make sure that parents are respected in that decision and given the opportunity to make a decisions which is right for their own family.

From my own experience and the countless conversations I've had in my community, most families have quite a hybrid model approach to the way they're managing their family budget and the way they're managing their care arrangements. The hybrid model involves parental care; kinship care, with a lot of grandparents being brought back into the unpaid workforce to assist in that regard; family day care models; and childcare centres. I don't think we should be casting any judgement on any family or any parent that has to make a decision that enables them to properly care for that No. 1 responsibility in their family. There should be no judgement whatsoever if a parent—primarily it tends to be a mother in modern Australian society—decides they want to spend more time at home and be a stay-at-home mum for an extended period. That shouldn't be the subject of judgement from the rest of the community. It's a reasonable choice to make, particularly if they believe they can make a more substantial contribution to their child's upbringing by being home more often. Likewise, a family, or a mother or a father, demanding longer hours in a childcare centre because of their own individual circumstances shouldn't be judged either. It's a reasonable choice to make. We should respect the choices that Australian families have to make. We need to move to a model that respects all those choices and offers greater flexibility for Australian families.

In making those comments, I want to acknowledge the work of the shadow minister and the tireless advocacy she has put into her role in terms of meeting with people, particularly in rural and regional communities, where we have childcare deserts families would like to pick up more shifts and to return to the paid workforce but simply don't have the option of formalised child care available to them. I don't want this to be a debate where we just sling arrows back and forth across the chamber. I want this to be a debate where we recognise that Australian families charged with the incredible responsibility of raising children want to see the government work with them, offer them choice and flexibility, but, most importantly, offer those rural and regional members access to centres that are required to address their cost-of-living pressures but also give their children the absolute best opportunities to achieve their full potential in the Australia community. I thank the House.

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