Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion moved by the member for Bendigo, and I congratulate her on raising this because it is a really important issue. Unlike the member for Dobell, I acknowledge that there has been $157 million cut from the program. No matter how you say it, $157 million ripped out a family day care is a cut. Family day care is a grass roots childcare service. It is the most affordable child care and the easiest to access. At a time when the government is focusing on child care, it is important to acknowledge the impact that a $157 million cut will have on child care. I also call on the government to reverse that cut when it is considering its childcare package. Family day care availability will be impacted on and the costs of childcare bills will increase. That is important to me and my electorate, as it is to all other members and their electorates, and it will have the greatest impact on regional areas.

I would like to run through the new facts and figures in relation to how this cut will impact on the Shortland electorate. It is one of the more disadvantaged electorates within Australia. These figures are approved by the ABS. This grassroots service of family day care provides 165,000 children across Australia with child care. On the Central Coast of New South Wales in Lake Macquarie it provides child care to 900 children. Many of those children receive their family day care from these organisations which support 98,000 families in Australia and 719 families in Lake Macquarie. This support enables the parents of those children to receive family day care for their children so that they can go to work or undertake study, just as this government is calling on.

This cut is really mean-spirited. I think that those on the other side need to acknowledge that and reverse this decision to cut funding through the Family Support Program, a program that is designed to address disadvantage. The areas of the greatest disadvantage are those that depend on family day care the most. These are also areas where there are high levels of domestic violence, single-parent families and unemployment. These are all issues that impact on my electorate.

Lake Macquarie City Council, which is the provider in the Lake Macquarie part of my electorate, will lose $300,000 from the Community Support Program from 30 June this year when the Department of Education will stop all community support contracts for family day care providers. Then they must reapply for funding. Family day care in Lake Macquarie is provided by Lake Macquarie council and currently operates with an average of 261 places. This is equivalent to 6.5 childcare centres. This is something that we cannot afford to lose. It is cost-neutral, and the council relies on approximately $300,000 to deliver this program.

It was interesting to hear the member for Dobell speak before me on Wyong Shire. I have spoken to Child and Family Services, and they are not happy about this cut. The member for Dobell talked about hard choices. Well, these are hard choices that are impacting on the ability of this service to provide child care to children across the area. Over 600 families in this area rely on family day care, and it is an area of great disadvantage.

I call on this Abbott government to reverse this decision. The government is looking at child care. Let's make it affordable, let's make it accessible and let's reverse this decision. (Time expired)

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