Trish Draper (Makin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Acting Prime Minister. Would the Acting Prime Minister inform the House of recently published information which indicates the effects of government policies regarding child care? Does this information demonstrate that the number able to access child care is increasing?

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Makin for her question and her interest in child care. The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its child-care survey on 22 May 2006. The publication is released every three years. What this showed was that the proportion of the population accessing child care in 2005 was 22.6 per cent, compared to 14.4 per cent using formal care in 1996. That is basically a 50 per cent increase in the proportion of families that are now accessing child care.

The second thing that the ABS found was that, after taking into account the child-care benefit, the costs of child care—the median cost of formal child care in Australia, after you have got your benefit—was $31 per week. Thirdly, what it found was that, even though the number accessing child care had risen from 14.4 per cent to 22.6 per cent, the number that were unable to access child care had actually fallen. There were 106,100 children requiring additional formal care, down from 123,200 when the Australian Labor Party was running the child-care system. Further than that, the average amount of additional child care required was less than one day a week under the ABS. So here we have a child-care system which has more people accessing it than ever before—

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Plibersek interjecting

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and which, before the introduction of the rebate has a median cost of $31 per week and, thirdly, which has reduced the number of people that are looking for additional child care.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Plibersek interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Sydney is warned!

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All of this comes together to be the largest investment—

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Plibersek interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney is warned!

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

in child care that Australia has ever had and, although more people are accessing it all the time, the number of people that are still looking for child care has declined.

That does not mean that there cannot be improvements, and the uncapping of outside school hours places and the uncapping of family day care will improve the child-care system in Australia. The introduction of the child-care rebate, which will give you a 30 per cent rebate of your out-of-pocket costs, will also improve the situation for mothers. This is a government which is determined to improve child care for working mothers in Australia. What the ABS publication shows is that, over the last 10 years, we have made improvements, we are making progress and our budget announcements will take that further.