Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Childcare centre after childcare centre told me their concerns about the halving of their income. They didn't know whether centres would be eligible for the JobKeeper payment because of how they are set up, or need to be set up, to provide services and survive. They were worried about not being able to access the traineeship subsidy. As Darlene, an early educator, said: 'I feel the early childhood education care relief package is nothing more than a marketing ploy by the government to gain some extra votes and appear to be doing the right thing by Aussie families; however, what is hidden behind this blanket 'free child care for everyone' banner is the disconcerting truth that early childhood educators, without consultation, have been told to continue working, despite isolation and social-distancing rules that apply for everyone else, and in addition services will be financially worse off, forcing many services to reduce educator hours, many of whom are not entitled to the JobKeeper package.'

I have raised concerns about this package with the government and, while I was pleased when they finally announced a supplementary relief package to assist, it did not solve all the problems. Then the government decided they would just snap back to the old system on 13 July. This was not a plan and it was not a solution to the problems the government has created.

I just want to tell you about one preschool in my electorate which I think is a great example of the government's failings to fully consider this policy. Andrew runs the Culburra Beach Preschool. Along with preschools across Australia in April, Andrew was receiving 50 per cent of what the fees were at the end of February before being told he now had to give free child care. When numbers of children dropped, they rejigged staff rosters to adjust to lower numbers. They put in place social distancing to help protect staff and children. They also lost their director and, because of the government's JobKeeper rules, a newly employed director was not eligible. While Andrew's centre did receive JobKeeper, while they still could at least, he said that many centres didn't and it would be hard to survive.

These centres provide care for vulnerable children and children of essential workers. When school went back this also sent a message for parents to send children back to child care or preschool, where social distancing is even more difficult. At school, kids either get dropped at the gate or travel by bus, but at child care families come in and want to stay with children for a while.

Then the government's department sent an email to providers which said: 'We will look carefully at the government help you are receiving both through the relief package and the JobKeeper payment to consider if the care you are providing is reasonable. Providers found not to be following the requirements of the family assistance law, including the relief package, may have their payments cancelled. Services experiencing a significantly higher demand should apply for an exceptional circumstance supplementary payment.' To clarify, that's a payment that centres had applied for and that, when they received the email, they had still not received—just gobsmacking.

Then, after all the difficulties they have already been put through, the government decided to rip away the one lifeline that many of these workers had: JobKeeper. They decided that early educators didn't deserve that help; they can make it on their own. You know what that meant, Deputy Speaker? More hardship for early educators, more parents without support and even more people who can't pay their bills.

The government try and try again to make changes to the childcare system, but the problem, as so often with those opposite, is that they are not listening. The truth about free child care is simply that the government were spending less money than they had budgeted for the childcare subsidy—almost half a billion dollars less—so they ripped half a billion dollars from the sector on top of the revenue losses from not being able to charge fees. Then they just wanted to go back to things as they were, switching from one flawed system to another and leaving parents, children and early educators to suffer the consequences.

It is absolutely vital that we have a properly funded childcare system that does not overburden our hardworking educators. It must adequately support parents to keep their employment during this unprecedented crisis. The consequences of not doing so are dire for parents, for children, for early educators and for our economy. I welcome the changes the government is making today through this bill, but again I find myself asking: what took so long? So, as I always do in this place, I will keep sharing the stories from my community until those opposite stand up and listen.

See this speech in context