Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

That's why early childhood education is so important. I would hope that the member for New England in particular might know that. He might also know—as I do, as a father of young children—that early childhood education is expensive, and that the cost has gone up by 41 per cent in the last the eight years.

That's why the legislation that we have introduced into the parliament is so important: it will cut the cost of child care for more than a million Australian families. That is, on average, 6,000 families in each and every electorate represented in this parliament. For a family on a combined income of about $120,000, it means they will save about $1,700 a year.

It's good for children, as the member for new England knows.

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