Annette Hurley (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Kemp, the Minister representing the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Can the minister confirm that the Howard government is intending to slash funding to child-care service providers in Western Australia who offer support to families and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds? Is the senator aware that one such centre, in Mount Hawthorn, may have its budget slashed from $340,000 to $190,000 a year, which is a massive 30 per cent reduction in available salaries for child-care workers? Why is the Howard government being so callous towards migrant families, or is this just another example of the Howard government making it even harder for time-pressed Australian families to access child care?