Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. When it comes to slashing mail deliveries, the Prime Minister says that pandemic measures will last until the middle of next year. So why is he kicking childcare workers off JobKeeper in July?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll ask the Minister for Education to further respond to this question. What we are doing is providing additional support to childcare operators—more than $700 million of support in addition to the rebates that are received by childcare operators—so they can support more workers, not less. That has occurred as a result of the consultations undertaken by the Minister for Education. Not only did this government step in to provide childcare support by offering free child care when the childcare sector was dropping like a stone in the face of the COVID crisis. We stepped in, we acted, we have worked with the sector and we have provided that additional subsidy support as they transition back to their operations in the future. We've stepped in, we're providing support and we've worked with the sector. Those opposite seek to make hay over a crisis, and they should be ashamed of themselves. I will now ask the Minister for Education to add to the answer.

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Kingston will cease interjecting. The Minister for Education.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Prime Minister, and I would just remind the House that we put in place temporary measures to help the childcare sector when demand was dropping. Ninety-nine per cent of childcare services remained open through the pandemic. If you have a look at what happened right across the world, you can see that we are unique in this regard. Can I say, on behalf of the government—and I think this would be on behalf of all members of the House—to all those early childhood educators who worked through the pandemic: thank you.

They provided much-needed services to those essential services workers and, in particular, to the vulnerable children who needed care. We put in place temporary measures for when demand was dropping. We have now put in place transition arrangements to support the sector as demand comes back into it. It has reached 74 per cent. With regard to the employment guarantee that we put in place and the transition payment of $708 million that the Prime Minister mentioned, that now means that 200,000 employees are supported rather than the 120,000 employees who were supported under the temporary measures that we put in place. One was there for when demand was dropping. We've now put in place new arrangements as demand increases. We will continue to work with the sector. We will continue to consult with the sector. I once again commend the sector for the outstanding job they did in making sure they were there to provide the care we needed—99 per cent of services open. (Time expired)