Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 11 March, Senator Xenophon asked me a question about child care. I seek leave to incorporate a supplementary answer in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The answer read as follows—

Does the government provide capital grants funding for child care centres?

• The Australian Government provides capital grants to eligible Long Day Care centres through the Long Day Care Capital Funding Program, within the Child Care Services Support Program.
• The Australian Government’s 2007-08 Budget provided $3 million over three years for capital funding for Long Day Care services.
• The funding is targeted to help ensure children in rural and remote areas and other areas of need have access to high quality child care programs.
• Services who receive funding use this money to enhance existing facilities, including upgrades to indoor and outdoor areas. Services also use the funding for upgrades to provide additional child care places.
• The Government is currently negotiating funding offers with successful applicants under the 2008/09 round.
• As charities, not-for-profit child care centres can access a range of tax concessions including an income tax exemption, GST charity concessions and FBT concessions.