Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment Participation and Childcare) Share this | Hansard source

Doesn't it just say it all that the Leader of the Opposition moves a matter of public importance on forgotten families and he forgets to mention families? This was supposed to be all about Australian families but, instead, the Leader of the Opposition talked about the member for Dobell; he talked about Senator Fisher; he talked about the Pacific Solution; and he continued his here, there and everywhere strategy on carbon dioxide. He forgot to talk about the very thing that he is pretending to care about here today, and that is Australian families. We have heard enough of the rhetoric, we have heard the negativity, we have heard the attacks—the easy opportunism—of the opposition leader, and now it is time that we inserted some reality into this discussion. It is time we actually—wait for it—talked about some policy, and it is time that we actually mentioned Australian families and what this government is doing to stand shoulder to shoulder with Australian families.

I must say that the fact that the Leader of the Opposition moved a Matter of Public Importance on forgotten families and then forgot to mention them is not the only element of irony that we have seen here today, because there is an intense irony when one considers the very last vote that this chamber undertook today. And then the Leader of the Opposition had the gall to talk about forgotten families. We know that there is a precedent for this. He failed to mention them today, but at least in his budget reply speech the Leader of the Opposition dropped a quick sound bite about forgotten families. But when it came to the vote he forgot them.

Today, the very last division that took place in this chamber was where the coalition voted against a measure which will allow an extra $59 million to be invested in delivering quality child care for some of Australia's most vulnerable children. Let's talk about the forgotten families now. That funding, which passed through this House, I am happy to say, with the support of all except those in the coalition, will be invested in 140 budget based childcare services across the country. These are the services which the government funds because they operate in communities where a commercial childcare centre may not be deemed viable. They are in communities where there is a need for us to step in and make sure that the neediest children in Australia do not miss out, but those opposite decided today that they wanted to vote against that. These services generally operate in rural, regional and remote areas. They often have an Indigenous focus and they service some of the most vulnerable children and those in the most disadvantaged families in this country. We are making sure that these families are not the forgotten families, and the Leader of the Opposition forgot to mention them today. We know that these are the very children who potentially have the most to gain from the critical early learning experiences that they receive whilst they are in child care.

Those who voted against this measure said today, just before question time, that it is more important to give the very small percentage of families across Australia—mostly on higher incomes and using large amounts of quality child care—more than $7,500 per child per year than it is to provide the most basic childcare services and infrastructure for the some of the most disadvantaged children in the community. These disadvantaged children are in families that this government will not forget. This government believes in supporting those families. We believe that they are entitled to early education and care for their children, and we have not forgotten them, unlike the forgetfulness those opposite displayed earlier today. Nor will we forget and ignore the almost 800,000 Australian families who place their kids in care each week, as the coalition did when in government—and as we heard about from the Prime Minister earlier in question time. So, far from forgetting families, this is why we increased the childcare rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of out-of-pocket expenses up to an annual cap of $7,500 per child per year. The opposition, when they were in government, were quite happy for this cap—the cap that they said today could not possibly stay at $7,500—to reach a maximum of just $4,354. Far from forgetting these families, we have made a 72 per cent increase in what is available in terms of government funding than what was available under the Howard government, and that is something that on this side of the House we stand proud of.

Those opposite go scaremongering about the costs of child care in the community. As a result of the investment, the proportion of family income that is being spent on child care has almost halved since 2004. We know that families making the family budget come together can often find it difficult when looking for the hard earned dollars to pay their bills, but we also know that in 2004 13 per cent of the average family income for families with one child in care was being spent on child care. That is for families on $55,000 a year. From 13 per cent in 2004, it now stands at seven per cent of their family income. It is a dramatic difference and something that we have done to ensure that these families are not forgotten.

We also promised to pay the childcare rebate quarterly, and we have delivered on our commitment. Then, further, we promised to pay the rebate fortnightly, and we have delivered on that commitment. This is making it easier for thousands of parents to balance the family budget, because they now receive their childcare assistance at the same time that the bills fall due. Overall, this government is investing a record $20 billion over the next four years for early childhood education and care. This includes some $16.4 billion to help Australian families meet the cost of their child care, through either the childcare benefit or, indeed, the childcare rebate. In contrast, this is more than double the funding amount offered under the previous government.

Beyond child care, this government is ensuring that we do not forget the Australian families who are out there doing it tough. We are committed to supporting Australian families to participate in society and we are committed to ensuring that they can balance their work with the important job of raising their children. That is why we will spend around $20 billion on family tax benefit, the baby bonus and paid parental leave. We are proud that the 2011-12 budget includes new cost-of-living support for families—families that the Leader of the Opposition deemed forgotten families and then forgot to even mention when he was meant to be talking about them. We are delivering on our election commitment to increase family tax benefit part A by up to $161 per fortnight for teenagers aged 16 to 19 who are in full-time secondary study from 1 January 2012. We are delivering. The families of around 650,000 children turning 16 over the next five years may be eligible for up to $4,200 in increased assistance if their children stay in school, because we know that is the best thing for Australian families.

From 1 July families have access to more flexible arrangements for advance payments of their family tax benefit to help with unexpected costs, such as the family car breaking down. On 1 January, we delivered Australia's first Paid Parental Leave scheme. Eligible working parents who adopt a baby on or after 1 January 2011 are now able to receive 18 weeks parental leave pay at the national minimum wage, currently around $590 a week. So while those opposite come in here, play politics, choose to talk about the member for Dobell, Senator Fisher or any of the other things that the Leader of the Opposition was rabbiting on about, we are getting on with the job of delivering to and supporting Australian families. We know that around 85,000 working parents have applied for paid parental leave so far and around 33,000 parents are receiving it right now. For families that are not eligible for paid parental leave we are continuing the baby bonus, currently $5,437 a year, to assist them with the extra costs associated with a new or adopted child. Also, from 1 July, the education tax refund has been extended to cover the costs of school uniforms, another measure that we have put in place to help Australian families balance their budgets.

This government is committed to assisting families who are experiencing disruption to their lives or who may need additional support or work to raise their children. We have the new Family Support Program, which offers greater support to the most vulnerable in our community and helps to build more resilient families and communities, with $335.2 million committed for family service providers in 2010-11. But we also know, when talking about forgotten families, that there are different experiences in different parts of Australia. Different families are coping with different circumstances. Some are doing quite well, but we also acknowledge that there are parts of Australia where families are particularly struggling. This government has stood up and said, 'These families will not be forgotten by this government.' We know that nothing is more important for dealing with household bills than having a secure job, a decent wage in a safe workplace, which is why we have worked hard to create over 750,000 jobs in Australia since coming to office.

Yet, sadly, we also know that there are still members of our community who have been unemployed for too long, and that is why this government has said: 'We will not walk away from you. We will ensure that you will not get left behind.' We want to give them a second chance, which is why we have put record levels of funding into our employment services. It is why, at priority employment areas right across Australia where we know that there are particularly tough circumstances, we have put in place additional measures, local employment coordinators and funds so that they can have jobs expos so that the government can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Australian families who are doing it toughest.

We know that the Australian economy needs more workers if it is going to successfully take advantage of the minerals boom and manage the challenges of our ageing population, which is why we have also announced measures to ensure that those Australians who join the ranks of the very long-term unemployed now have more assistance than ever before. We have put in place new wage subsidies in the most recent budget so that we can help move people back into employment. We are investing more into our disability employment providers by setting up new wage subsidies that they can offer and by working with employers to change the stigma. We will make sure that those who have been forgotten in the past will not be forgotten anymore. We can ensure that those who have been at risk of staying on the margins—the very long-term unemployed, mature age workers and the disabled—can step into employment and enjoy the comparatively favourable circumstances in the Australian economy.

We know that when we are talking about forgotten families that the Leader of the Opposition is a risk to every Australian family's future. He is a risk to jobs and he is a risk to workplace protections. He opposed the stimulus package; he would have thrown 200,000 Australians onto dole queues. We know, and we continually hear the rumbling from the opposition backbench, there is nothing that would bring the opposition more happiness than to bring back Work Choices.

Beyond that, the Leader of the Opposition is a risk to the budget. He went to the last election with an $11 billion black hole, which we now see has blown out to $70 billion. He is a risk to basic services that ordinary families rely upon in our community. He has promised cuts already to computers in schools, to trades training centres, to GP superclinics and the after-hours GP hotline, and to the National Broadband Network, which we know is so important to our economy and particularly to many of our regions. He is a risk to the cost of living. His fiscal recklessness would only add to price pressures in the economy. He would want to bring back bank exit fees. We know, and we heard in his contribution earlier, that under his climate change policy each household would have to pay an average of $720 more in taxes, and that he would give that money—money from Australian families and hardworking taxpayers—straight to the big polluters themselves. He will say anything he needs to in order to get the five-second sound grab on the television news, but when it comes to standing in this place and taking action or voting accordingly to make sure the interests of Australian families are considered or to anything beyond rhetoric, the Leader of the Opposition proves, and proved again today, that he is all spin and no substance.

Australian families, which he forgot to even mention in his matter of public importance contribution on forgotten families, deserve better. They deserve a government that is committed to supporting them with the costs of living. They deserve the delivery of quality services that they rely on. They deserve our assistance to help them into jobs and for us to continue to create jobs in the Australian economy, like the 750,000 that have been created since we came to government. This is exactly what the Gillard Labor government is doing. It is exactly what we intend to do, and we will ensure that we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Australian families that are at risk of being forgotten if the Leader of the Opposition ever made his way onto this side of the chamber. (Time expired)

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