Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to expand access to early education and care in the outer suburbs and regional Australia? What has been the response, and are there other approaches to spending taxpayers' money that would leave Australians worse off?

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank my friend the cracking member for Corangamite for her question. Under the Liberals, the cost of child care went through the roof. It skyrocketed by 49 per cent.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Moncrieff!

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We said when we were elected that we would cut the cost of child care, and that's what we've done. We've cut the cost of child care for more than a million Australian families. The average family have saved more than $2,000 in the last 12 months.

This year we'll help more kids who are currently missing out, because this year we'll roll out a $1 billion fund to build more childcare centres where they're needed: in the suburbs, in the regions and in the bush. That got the backing, this week, of the National Farmers Federation. They said yesterday:

We implore the Coalition to match Labor's $1bn 'building early education fund' to build more than 160 new childcare centres.

So the farmers get it but the Nationals and the Liberals don't. They've spent 2½ years in this joint talking about childcare deserts. They spent a decade in government doing nothing about it. And now there's a billion-dollar fund on the table, and they're turning their backs on the bush again. Instead, they've come up with something else they want to spend the money on. Instead of building childcare centres in the bush, they want to fund long lunches for inner-city bosses. That's what they want to do. Forget kids in the childcare deserts. They want to fund long lunches and bosses' desserts.

It's not just that. As the minister just mentioned, they're also opposed to the legislation that she introduced this morning that guarantees three days a week of early education to prepare Aussie children for school. Why? Well, the shadow Treasurer told us why.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moncrieff is now warned.

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He said Australia can't afford that. But apparently Australia can afford at least $1.6 billion a year for every boss to go out to lunch. That's the choice: escargot for CEOs or early education for our kids? Helping our kids get a great start in life or helping bosses get a great starter at half price? I think I know which one parents are going to pick. They're going to pick their kids. They're going to pick education. Not this cockamamie long lunch idea from a bunch of Scott Morrison leftovers. This doesn't belong in a budget; it belongs in the bin.