Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) it has been over 12 months since the Government introduced its Cheaper Child Care policy, and out of pocket costs have increased by 7.2 per cent in the past six months;

(b) all families saw an increase to their child care fees following the introduction of this policy, with some families slugged with multiple increases over the past 12 months;

(c) the Government has no idea how much of the $4.7 billion that was spent on higher child care subsidies was actually eaten by inflation and increased fees; and

(d) the Government's policy has done nothing to increase access to early childhood education and care, particularly in regional, rural and remote communities; and

(2) calls on the Government to deliver:

(a) more access to early childhood education and care places to support Australians to return to the workforce; and

(b) real cost of living relief to families.

It has been over two years since the Albanese Labor government were elected, promising Australians that life would be cheaper under them, and yet, after two years of Labor, the cost of essentials has increased. Food is up by 11 per cent, housing is up by 15 per cent, rents are up by 15 per cent, electricity is up by 22 per cent and gas is up by a staggering 25 per cent. Australians are paying 20 per cent more personal income tax, despite the rhetoric you hear from the government. Household savings have collapsed by nearly 10 percentage points, and homeowners with a typical mortgage of $750,000 are nearly $35,000 worse off. It's quite jaw dropping. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you vote for Labor. We know that Labor don't know how to manage money. They don't understand how inflation works, and they'll tell you whatever you want to hear just to win your vote.

Over 12 months ago, Labor's cheaper child care policy came into effect. We warned Australians that Labor had not done the proper due diligence on this policy and that costs would rise. And what do you know? On 1 July 2023, centres increased their prices, some increased them again in January 2024 and up they went again only last month. In 12 months, out-of-pocket costs have increased by 8.4 per cent and families are right back where they started. Again, Labor will tell you that over a million families are better off under them. But they can't tell you how many parents and how many carers they supported back into full-time work. They promised 37,000. That was the number they promised you. And they can't tell you how much of the $4.7 billion spent was immediately eaten up by increased fees, never mind inflation. It appears the only thing they can tell you are the talking points—carefully crafted, of course, by the PM's media unit.

The announcement just last week of a one-off 15 per cent payment to early childhood educators is further proof that this government cares more about winning votes than actually delivering good, long-lasting policy for the sector. In two years time, when the wage payments have been made and fee restraints are removed, who, I ask you, Australians, will be left footing this bill for those higher wages? It will be you. Australian families will be left with the bill. A two-year pause on fee increases means that, in the third year, prices will have to rise significantly, especially when most providers already increase their fees by more than the 4.4 per cent cap that will be imposed. Even Goodstart, the nation's largest not-for-profit, increased its fees by more than that just last month.

If we take a look at regional, rural and remote communities, the early childhood education situation is even more dire. There are families with no access at all, as the member for Casey will attest to. There are families who drive an hour one way to do drop-off and then an hour back the other way to go to work, families who have to choose who goes to work and who looks after the children, and families who are struggling to get by because in this economy both parents need to work to pay their bills.

Every time those on the opposite side of the chamber open their mouths to talk about families and how they are better off under them, I want them to think about the families in regional Australia. Better yet, why don't you get out of your metro seats, I say to those opposite. Get out of the cities and go and visit them, as my colleagues and I have been doing. Go and listen to the parents in Lismore, who are still waiting for the services to be reopened or rebuilt. Go and speak to the parents in Casey in Victoria, where there's one early learning place for every 15 children. Or visit Grey, in the great state of SA—the biggest child care desert in the country. If you really cared about all families, you'd make sure a policy for access to early learning benefited all families.

This government talks a big game, but it has no idea how to actually deliver it. The coalition believes in choice and flexibility—that all families should have a choice. Right now, so many of you don't. We want to see actual cost-of-living relief delivered for families, something we know that this Labor government is incapable of delivering. All they have delivered to Australian families is higher inflation for longer. What all Australian families need is lower inflation, lower mortgage rates and more cost-of-living relief, which this government is failing them on.

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