Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Working families in the Scullin electorate and right around Australia are facing real cost-of-living pressures—pressures which have been exacerbated by the cruel budget handed down by Treasurer Hockey and the Abbott government. When I think about the cost-of-living pressures that families are facing, I think about access to affordable and accessible child care, which impacts significantly on the life choices of families and the life prospects of our children. So I rise to join the member for Adelaide in condemning the Abbott government's cuts to the childcare benefit.

The Abbott government is pushing through cuts to child care support that will impact over half a million low- and middle-income families, many of them in Scullin—

Mr Nikolic interjecting—

and many of them in Bass, so do not laugh about this—it is serious. This will mean higher fees for over 80 per cent of the families who rely on child care—

Andrew Nikolic (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, I raise a point of order. The reference to me laughing had nothing to do with the member's comments, and I would ask him to withdraw that incorrect assertion.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. The member for Scullin has the call.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Abbott government campaigned on making child care affordable, yet once again they have done just the opposite, stripping almost $1 billion from early education and care. I spoke earlier this week on the cruel cuts to Aboriginal child and family centres. This is just one element of a cruel agenda, betraying working families and betraying our future.