Rod Kemp (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for the Arts and Sport) Share this | Hansard source

In that case, Senator McLucas is conceding that is correct. I would have to say, Senator, you may have trapped yourself. This is what in the sporting area we say is an own goal. The public would rightly expect that unused child-care places be allocated expeditiously to areas of demand, and the public in that case would be dead right. The opposition amendments would actually be a retrograde step over the current system of voluntary release and not improve flexibility, as is the government’s intent. Child care is about supporting parents and the carers they choose. I would have to say that parents seeking places for their children in areas of demand would be infuriated by Senator McLucas’s amendment, which would deny them access to places that are otherwise not being used. I do not know what Senator McLucas would say to those parents if this amendment was passed by the Senate.