Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment Participation and Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare. Minister, how is the government supporting working people to access child care for their children and better participate in the workforce?

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I wish you a happy birthday. Can I thank the member for Throsby both for his question but also for the hard work that he does in his electorate for working families.

With this government's focus firmly on jobs and on boosting workforce participation, we recognise just how important it is that we have childcare solutions in place for families. We know that accessible, affordable and quality childcare options must be available to enable parents to be able to return to the workforce, and we are proud of the progress that this government has made towards delivering this.

I am pleased to be able to inform the House that the latest figures show that there has been a massive 36 per cent increase in the number of approved childcare centres in this nation in just the four years that we have been in government—a 36 per cent increase in the number of centres. This of course plays a major role in ensuring that families can find care where and when they need it. But further than this, no government in the history of this nation has done more to assist families when it comes to affordability of care. We have increased the childcare rebate from 30 per cent, as it was under those opposite, to 50 per cent of parents' costs under this government. We have increased the cap on this rebate from $4,354 under the coalition government to $7,500 per child under this government. We know that this is having a significant impact for working families. In fact, since 2004, when those opposite were in office, childcare costs for families earning $75,000 a year have reduced from 13 per cent of their disposable income under the coalition government to 7. 5 per cent of their disposable income in 2011 under us. In fact, over the next four years this government will provide over $21 billion to the early childhood education and care sector, a figure which is almost triple that which it was under the Howard government in its last four years in office. But as important as accessible and affordable child care may be, we know that parents want to have peace of mind when they drop their children off in the morning that they are going to be safe, well supervised and cared for in a quality environment. We are proud to be leading the national reform process in partnership with every state and territory government to ensure that Australian kids get the best start in life. We are helping families, we are helping kids and, importantly, we are also boosting workforce participation. That is a record I am incredibly proud to stand alongside. In contrast, we know that those opposite stand alongside the member for Mayo, who states that childcare payments create a cycle of dependency. I say: you can stand alongside him; we stand side-by-side with Australian families.