Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bonner for moving this motion and providing this opportunity to speak on a topic I feel immense passion for. As the economy recovers in 2022, the childcare sector will play a critical role in facilitating parents' workforce participation. With more than 280,000 more children in child care than when we came to office, the Morrison government knows that support to this sector is completely critical. Parents want the confidence that they can go to work knowing that their children are safe and cared for.

Many of us in this place are working parents. We know the challenges that face young families when they need to return to work. Many of us know intimately both the emotional and the financial challenges placed on young families as they navigate the work-family juggle that comes with having young children, and there's never been a more trying time than during COVID. Those early years are not easy for young families. Sleepless nights and toddler wrangling is often mixed with critical junctures in one or both of the parents' careers. Add to that, parents may need to upsize their house as their family grows. Mortgage pressures are added to the increased cost of feeding a growing family.

This government understands that happy and supported families grow happy and supported children, children that become happy and supported citizens themselves of our great nation. That is why at the last budget the Morrison government stepped up to invest a huge boost to funding in the childcare sector. From early next year Australian families are set to benefit from the Morrison government's budget measures to increase childcare subsidies for families with more than one child under six. The increased subsidies will flow from early March 2022, and these changes will see 250,000 families pay fewer out-of-pocket costs. Furthermore, the removal of the current income cap removes the disincentive for a second earner to undertake work. This will take our total investment to almost $11 billion a year for families to reduce their childcare costs—almost double what Labor spent in their last year in office.

This investment will help local childcare centres right across Higgins, childcare centres including Murrumbeena Children's Centre, Glen Iris childcare centre on Warrigal Road, Malvern Early Learning and Childcare Centre, Little Paddington childcare centre in Malvern East, Clever Kids child care in Ashburton, Inspire Early Learning in Murrumbeena and the Renown childcare centre.

The impact of this subsidy does more than just make child care more affordable and more accessible; it helps to encourage workforce participation, particularly for women. We know that an increase in child care costs results in more women staying at home. The government understands that our economy is stronger when we have fuller participation. We also understand that women make for a stronger and more diverse workplace. We want to encourage workforce participation, particularly among women. We want women to take their place in the world in a way that ensures their financial independence and that their contribution to society is appropriately remunerated. The extra investment that government has made in the last budget will allow around 40,000 people to work an extra day per week.

We all know children are a gift we are given. But, as a mum of four young adults, I know only too well that they grow up in a blink of an eye and then they go on to make their own way in life. We want to make sure that young families can get through the early tough times so that they can thrive and prosper. Helping young families with that early juggle is key to that. These new budgetary measures will put more money back in young families' pockets. It will lower disincentives for parents to return to work or take on additional hours, and Treasury estimates these measures will boost the level of GDP by up to $1.5 billion a year. This complements our 2018 package that has kept out-of-pocket costs for families low. We overhauled the childcare system to introduce one simplified childcare subsidy for all families. These changes combined have helped ensure the highest female participation rate in Australia ever.

As a paediatrician, I understand the value of quality child care for children for their best start in life. The Morrison government understands this too and will continue to provide subsidies for quality child care to the benefit of parents and children now and in generations to come.

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