Sophie Mirabella (Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare, Women and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion. I refer to the fact that the government has stated that 400 of the ABC Learning Centres are not profitable. Minister, which ones are they? Will they close after 31 December? Furthermore, as every centre reports its vacancy rates to the government on a weekly basis, what have the vacancy rates been for these 400 centres since January?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Indi for her question. As the member for Indi should be aware, on 7 November—that is, Friday of last week—I announced that the government would provide up to $22 million conditional funding because around 40 per cent of ABC Learning Centres, some 1,040 centres, were viewed by the receivers as unprofitable. The member for Indi, if she had read that transcript, would have also noted that I indicated at the time that that was the receiver’s preliminary data, the receiver having been put in place about 24 hours previously. The member for Indi is shaking her head, but obviously the question of profitability or unprofitability of a centre is a judgement the receiver would make—and the receiver understandably, some 24 hours afterwards, was saying that he was working on preliminary data. I suggest to the member for Indi that if she has questions about that she should direct them to the receiver.