Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In 2021, it is almost unbelievable that I have to stand here to condemn members of the Morrison government for judging and shaming Australian families for trying to balance work and family life—that members of the coalition told their party room they were concerned that spending on child care might lead women to 'outsource parenting'. Australian families do not need the moral judgements of this government. The reality is that most families in Australia rely on double incomes to be able to raise their families, and they deserve to have a genuine choice about how they balance work and family and to be supported in that choice—not judged by this out-of-touch, out-of-date Morrison government.

The truth is: under the Morrison government, child care is increasingly unaffordable. Only Labor has a plan to truly fix our childcare system. Under Labor's policy, 97 per cent of Australian families will be better off. We will task the Productivity Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the sector, to implement a universal, 90 per cent subsidy for all families. That's because Labor supports Australian women and Australian families to have genuine choice in how they balance work and family because we know that affordable child care is good for women, it's good for parents and it's good for children. All the evidence tells us that affordable, accessible child care benefits children. I will always be on the side of families and affordable child care— (Time expired)

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