Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House

(1) notes that the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Cheaper Child Care) Bill 2022:

(a) will increase demand on the early childhood education sector and does not address supply, namely:

(i) training individuals that wish to seek a future in the early childhood education sector; and

(ii) a retention strategy for the early childhood education sector, specifically childcare; and

(b) does not guarantee an increase in workforce participation;

(2) further notes the Government subsidy for high income families is occurring simultaneous to the abolition of the Lower and Middle Income Tax Offset which will increase the cost of living pressures on low and middle income families that need the support most; and

(3) calls on the Government to:

(a) implement the National Children's Education and Care Workforce Strategy which is a co- design piece conducted by the entire sector addressing key supply issues such as:

(i) recruitment;

(ii) retainment; and

(iii) sustainability and quality of the sector workforce;

(b) acknowledge the child care service gaps in facilities and staffing in remote, rural, and regional Australia; and

(c) acknowledge the barriers in the childcare sector that impact multicultural communities across Australia such as:

(i) English not being the primary language for children at home;

(ii) training and upskilling; and

(iii) understanding the unique needs of culturally diverse children.

Access to high-quality, affordable and sustainable early learning services is important for many families—especially in electorates like Fowler where we have a significant disadvantage, and more so now with the cost-of-living crisis. However, the government must also address the workforce shortage, which the sector has been crying out for. I'm moving this motion to provide some urgently needed practical solutions following my consultations with childcare providers in my electorate of Fowler. It aims to address the demand for childcare services the bill will create and the current workforce shortage, and to better meet the needs of workers, children and parents.

In my electorate of Fowler there's a higher percentage of children from culturally and linguistically diverse and refugee backgrounds—an indicator there are special needs and would require additional support, in particular for low-income families. Development vulnerability needs to be addressed early, as it becomes more expensive later. There's so much at stake socially and financially if we continue to get this wrong, and so much to gain if we get it right.

I met with Kindikids Edensor Park, KidsMatter and 3 Bears Childcare at Cabramatta, Growth Mindset at Bonnyrigg and Kids World Kindy in Bossley Park, and thanked them for their valuable time sharing their experiences with me and their commitment to the families of Fowler. The feedback was unanimous in the forum. Burnout is huge in the sector. There are staff shortages across the board. There is a huge increase in children with diverse and special needs, and there is not sufficient government support to cater for this growing need.

As legislators we must transform how the childcare sector is viewed and valued by inspiring young people to be part of the sector and offering important opportunities for upskilling and better conditions to encourage people to stay for the long term. Workers in the field say they are often thought of as just glorified babysitters. I want them to know that they are not, because they play an important role in caring, nurturing and teaching our young Australians. We entrust our children in their care, and, as a government, we need to ensure there is legislation and policy to better support the sector.

I propose solutions to increase the number of early childcare teachers in the system and ease the shortage such as: simplifying the New South Wales staffing ratio to be equivalent to the national quality framework; simplifying the early learning cadetship training model so that candidates can upskill to an early childhood teacher and study at the same time, or have their level of experience be taken into account if they want to become an ECT; and removing the need for university students already working in childcare facilities to do their practical course at another provider, as these demands are removing a valuable workforce from the current employer.

We've also been told there needs to be additional funding for the inclusion development fund subsidy to help support the inclusion of the growing number of children with diverse and additional needs. Providers with over 15 years experience have told me that the increase in children with diverse and additional needs is unprecedented, especially in my electorate of Fowler.

The current funding model is not working. The process to apply for inclusion of support workers is burdensome and there are out-of-pocket costs for the providers, with many centres stressing they cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs. These centres are not immune to the cost-of-living crisis. Currently the government funds the service $25 an hour in order to hire an inclusion support worker, but the true cost for this additional staff member, with superannuation, WorkCover and leave, is about $35 an hour. This additional staff member is crucial to ensure children's needs are met.

This is a recipe for disaster for all involved. There are children and families who need additional support but cannot access a service provider. Sometimes the focus on special needs often means other children miss out on required attention, placing huge burdens on teachers. I recommend that the government cover all employee costs of inclusion support services.

Lastly, families in Western Sydney are missing out on crucial subsidies, due to the childcare subsidy application process. The process must be simplified to ensure families where English is a second language are not missing out on this much-needed subsidy.

I ask the government to seriously consider the practical solutions I've put forward in this motion that will immensely support the childcare sector, children and families like those in my community of Fowler.

See this speech in context