Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education, Senator Birmingham. The government's own figures show that almost a quarter of South Australian families, including almost 4,000 families in the Wakefield and Port Adelaide electorates—areas, of course, that are struggling with high unemployment—will be losing out as a result of the government's changes. There'll be over 3,000 families who lose out in Tasmania and tens of thousands of families in Victoria, including in Batman. Can the minister explain to these families why, during high unemployment and low wages growth, children are being punished just because both their parents can't find a secure job?

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

I thank Senator Hanson-Young for her supplementary question to Senator Gichuhi's question earlier today! Indeed, I'm very pleased to reinforce to Senator Hanson-Young that, of course, firstly, for her interest and benefit, in the electorate of Kingston or, indeed, in the electorates of Makin, Hindmarsh or Barker, over 80 per cent of South Australian families will be better off. Across South Australia, around 80 per cent of families will be better off.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! . Senator Birmingham, please resume your seat. Senator Hanson-Young.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. In fact, my question referred to Wakefield and Port Adelaide, where almost a quarter of families will lose out.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is being relevant to the question. Senator Birmingham.

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

I'm happy to equally inform Senator Hanson-Young that there, of course, you're talking around three-quarters of families who will be better off as a result of the Turnbull government's reforms. I know the Australian Greens like to be glass half empty about everything, but, of course, in this case the glass is well and truly at least three-quarters full. The glass is at least three-quarters full and it's full of support for the hardest-working Australian families. It's full of support for people who are working, studying or volunteering at least four hours per week. And those families who are working, studying or volunteering at least four hours per week are going to get an increased rate of subsidy and support if they are on low or middle incomes. But, as I said before in my earlier answer, those on the lowest incomes will see the rate of childcare subsidy grow from 72c in the dollar to 85c in the dollar.

I would have thought that that is something the Australian Greens would welcome—that the Australian Greens would welcome the fact that those families who are working hard, studying hard and doing their bit to better themselves and get ahead would also get more support in their pockets. Many of those families will be thousands of dollars a year better off as a result of the Turnbull government's reforms. And, of course, as I outlined before, assessments undertaken by my department indicate that around 230,000 Australian families are expected to change their behaviour as a result of these reforms and work more, study more or volunteer more, in which case the numbers Senator Hanson-Young cites of who might be worse off will go down.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, a supplementary question.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In MYEFO, the government banked a billion dollars worth of cuts to child care. That's a billion dollars that now isn't going to families and is not being invested in early childhood education. Can the minister explain to the 90,000 families across the country who are about to lose their childcare support why they deserve these cuts yet the government wants to give $65 billion to big business through tax cuts?

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

Only the Australian Greens could come in here and call a compliance measure in MYEFO to stop people ripping off and rorting childcare subsidies a cut. What was announced in MYEFO was that we're going to make sure that dodgy operators who are ripping off taxpayers at present and claiming funds for the care of children who often don't exist or aren't in child care are no longer entitled to do so. As a government we're very proud of the fact we have made sure that we drive every dollar as far as we can. And it's reforms like this that enable us to give more support to the families who need it most—to make sure that those low-income, hardworking families get greater support for the choices they make to work, study and volunteer. We anticipate that, by better gearing and targeting the childcare subsidy, more families will choose to work more hours and more days because they're going to get more support to do so from the Turnbull government.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My final supplementary question: we know childcare cuts are going to hurt the lowest-income families, who are already struggling to cover living costs. Why are loans and subsidies to weapons manufacturers or tax cuts to big business more important than helping families care for and educate their children?

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

Let's try to spell it out for the Australian Greens: the Turnbull government's reforms to company tax are what's helping to spur a jobs boom across Australia—403,000 extra jobs created last year—more jobs for hardworking Australian families to access. The Turnbull government's childcare subsidy reforms will make it easier for families to choose to work more hours and to take up and fill those jobs. This is about helping families to get ahead and make the choice to work the days and hours that suit them, without childcare costs being an impediment to making those choices. Indeed, the policies are working in an integrated way. Our business policies and our company tax policies are helping to spur additional investment and additional jobs and our childcare subsidy policies are going to make it easier for families to fill those jobs, to work more hours, to seize those opportunities and to get ahead in life, thanks to the record support they're getting from the Turnbull government.