Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

Prior to today, Ms Macklin, the opposition's families spokesman, had acknowledged that the increased support for child care from this government 'had to be paid for somehow'—they were Ms Macklin's words: 'somehow'. Of course, what we see today, though, is that the Labor Party have no plan for how to pay for it and no alternative plan for child care. They do not have their own policy and now they are blocking the bulk of the funding measures required to implement the government's policy. This is an irresponsible approach from the Labor Party that is putting at risk the opportunity for Australian families to choose to maximise their workforce participation. It will make it harder for mums in particular to return to work or to increase their hours because they will be blocking, if they go down this path, the opportunity to provide greater support for child care to those who need it most. The determination of our government through our policies is to ensure that child care supports the families who need it most to balance their work and family obligations.