Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

In terms of the cost of child care, it is well known that we have spent over $10 billion on child care. In fact we spent $10.1 billion on child care in the first six years of our term. In the last six years of the Labor term, they only spent $3.9 billion. We have doubled it in real terms, so any implication that this government is not concerned about the cost of child care is absolute rubbish.

In terms of the statistics that are sneaking around the place, particularly with regard to the very vague connection between industrial relations and the provision of child care and accessing the workplace, it is very important to note that the ABS figures that came out as recently as yesterday found that 31 per cent of women named caring for children as their main reason for not actively looking for work. I saw a whole range of media headlines—for example, ‘Child care still parent job hurdle’—but those parents have chosen to stay home and look after their children.