Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on a matter of issue to the federal parliament, not a matter that is bound in the state arena as the member opposite did. Funnily enough, there is a state election happening in New South Wales and I suppose we are going to have lots of trotting out of New South Wales state issues. I wish that the government would concentrate on things that it is responsible for. What I want to bring up tonight is yet again the crisis in child care.

The crisis in child care is growing within my electorate and it is something that the member for Greenway should be talking about, rather than police matters. I want to commend the Whitehorse Council for taking significant action in this area. They have announced $1.6 million in funding for upgrades for their childcare centres, with some of them overlapping with my electorate of Chisholm. Whitehorse Council has seen that there are glaring needs and shortages in child care within the area and they have created an additional 75 places. I am not sure that child care is a prerogative of the local city council, but it is an area that they have been involved with for a long time. They run five centres within Whitehorse, providing terrific care and a good example for all centres around of the best quality care available. The $1.6 million has upgraded existing centres to create modern refurbishments and improve surroundings at these centres and has increased the number of spaces available. This is terrific, because I know that in my electorate there are many families who are in desperate need of childcare places.

The Howard government has not been able to see this. The Howard government says that there is no childcare crisis and that parents are being too choosy. I think that the one basic thing you can do in your life is to be very choosy about the childcare centre that you send your child to. What Prime Minister Howard said was an absolute insult to parents. He blamed them by saying that they were too choosy. He was also shooting home childcare costs to parents.

Childcare centre costs have more than doubled in Victoria under the Howard government. The Australian Bureau of Statistics consumer price index figures show that since 1996, when John Howard came to office, the cost of child care in Melbourne has increased by 126 per cent. It has more than doubled. That is, of course, if you can actually find a place to send your child to. One hundred and twenty-six per cent in 10 years is just ridiculous. It has exceeded the cost rise in every other area, from petrol through to houses—you name it. Childcare costs are skyrocketing. They are making it unaffordable for many families to choose to send their children to child care. The choice then is generally for the mother to leave the workforce. This is putting back the impost upon communities where we are facing a skills crisis and those women are no longer able to participate in the workforce. The cost has increased so much that many people are literally being forced out of the workforce.

Childcare costs in Australia have grown the fastest in Melbourne, followed by Perth with a 94 per cent increase and Brisbane with a 93 per cent increase. This is ridiculous. But people are still trying to find this money because there is still an additional crisis in actually finding places available. In my electorate office we have conducted a yearly survey of all the centres within the electorate to ask them what their waiting list is. Last year, of the 24 centres within the area, 15 had closed their books and were not taking any more names. The rest had places available, but these were for a half-day here and a half-day there. A mother coming back to the workforce wants consistent care at the one place. It is a big enough decision to say, ‘I am sending my child to this centre.’ To then find that you can only have a half-day here with this carer and that your child has to get used to another routine with a half-day here at another centre is unfeasible and unfair.

Labor has a policy on child care that will assist these people. Within my electorate of Chisholm, Whitehorse City Council has filled the breach with 75 places, and I commend them. But there should be other ways of resolving this problem. There should be centres at convenient locations. I do the double drop when I am at home. My husband does it on the other mornings. It drives you ballistic trying to get into the traffic again on Station Street as I do every morning to ensure both my children get to where they need to be on time. We should have centres more conveniently located and we should have greater planning in this area. Some areas have too many places and some do not have enough. We need greater coordination and consistency so that women can return to work with peace of mind that their children are at great centres. (Time expired)

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