Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I would be loath to make indications about how each and every centre might have managed achieving a 1 to 4 ratio, and what changes that may have led to in their staffing arrangements. I am aware that some centres have been operating on a 1 to 4 ratio for some time for quality related purposes. Some other centres may well have had to make other adjustments in order to achieve a 1 to 4 ratio. I would not like to say that that has necessarily involved additional staff or, indeed, additional hours for particular staff; it may have involved other rearrangements within their current staffing arrangements. I would not want to second guess that element of the situation. What I am assured by the department is that there is no indication that the removal of 0 to 2 places has been a result of these quality measures.