Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. So the government is undertaking a very ambitious reform to the quality of child care. I do not have any information on the childcare centre that the senator has raised, but I am happy to seek out that information and try to provide it to him. The government has undertaken independent economic modelling and found that the average out-of-pocket cost increases for a family on $80,000 would be 57c per week in 2010-11 rising to $8.67 per week by 2014-15 for one child to attend full time a long day care centre. The future of our children is absolutely critical and we make absolutely no apology for improving the quality of services to parents, the quality of teaching in those childcare centres and the quality of vocational education to childcare providers. That is what the government is undertaking. The previous Howard government neglected the sector, neglected child care. (Time expired)