Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As a woman who worked while raising two wonderful children, I understand the burden of juggling both professional life and family. I understand how it must have been for many Victorian women who had to juggle work responsibilities and home schooling during the height of the COVID pandemic. Thankfully, though, many of our frontline working mothers—the doctors, nurses, police and carers—were still able to access the key childcare support they needed in order to keep Australia safe. The Morrison government invested $3 billion into early childhood support and care during COVID-19 so that the families who needed care the most could get it.

And it worked. We saw child care attendance rebound by mid-December, with a seven per cent increase from pre-COVID levels and a 3.5 per cent increase from 2019 figures; 93 per cent of surveyed parents could access all the child care they needed in November 2020. And now quality, affordable child care is available for families because of the continued efforts of the Morrison government. The government that I'm proud to be a part of has a proven track record of delivering affordable child care year in, year out. The average out-of-pocket cost is less than $4 an hour, bringing the cost down considerably. More than a quarter of families also pay less than $2 an hour out of pocket. Our child care has become more accessible for those who need it, bringing the families of an additional 280,000 children some sorely needed financial relief.

The Morrison government recognises the tangible link between affordable child care and women's workforce participation. The Morrison government's childcare subsidy is supporting women's workforce participation to a record 61.8 per cent. This government's commitment to families extends into the 2021-22 budget, too. As part of the Treasurer's budget announcement last night, our government will deliver an additional $1.7 billion to help Australian families with the cost of child care and further encourage workforce participation. This budget will put more money back in families' pockets and lower disincentives for parents to return to work or take on additional hours, particularly for women. Treasury estimates this measure will boost the level of GDP by up to $1.5 billion a year, ensuring Australia remains on track to continue delivering a stronger post-COVID economy in a time where many other countries are struggling to do the same. We are doing this by increasing the subsidy for second and subsequent children aged five and under attending child care.

With the Morrison government's new measure in place, around three-quarters of subsidies will go to families earning under $150,000 in 2022-23. Labor's bloated, inefficient policy doesn't hold a bar to the targeted and measured support plan the Morrison government has delivered in the past and is committed to delivering throughout the future. When Labor was in government, child care fees went up by 53 per cent, including a one-year spike of 14.5 per cent. During this time, women's workforce participation was still lower than what our government has been able to deliver. The Morrison government understands the needs of families, and we are delivering. Thank you.

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