Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

I note the somewhat tone of umbrage the minister used when referring to my comments on a cash cow. I think that is exactly what it is. If you need to take money from something to pay to something else that thing is providing you cash. In this particular instance it is the changes to the childcare rebate and the costs associated being borne by families that are providing that cash. Senator Farrell indicated earlier that that was indeed the case, that it was indeed a savings measure, as you have just mentioned, Minister. It is interesting to note—as you say, it is important to be financially responsible—that the parents who are going to have to bear the burden of the increase would say that, if the government had been financially responsible, they would not need to make any changes at all to the current childcare rebate to be able to access funding for other measures. That is the point, Minister, and it has been raised very clearly in this place—that the reason you need to find the funding stream, the savings measures, indeed from the childcare rebate itself, is the government's mismanagement of the finances. Again, Senator Collins was not here earlier, so to assist: I drew the analogy that the government had wasted $80.9 million administering an emissions trading scheme which does not even exist. Perhaps if that had not happened the $81 million could have been used for this purpose. It is ironic that the figures are almost identical. That is what concerns people.

You have indicated the importance of the childcare sector and these measures. Perhaps the minister might inform the chamber of the importance the government is placing on this particular area. Labor's own website talks about policies and their comprehensive agenda, and of the 51 items on that comprehensive agenda to take Australia forward not one mentions child care. Not one of 51 policy issues on the Labor govern­ment's own website mentions child care. Yet we have those on the other side trying to say how important this issue is. There are 51 policy areas and child care does not rate a mention.

To give the government the benefit of the doubt, I saw at the bottom of this, 'More information on Labor government initiatives'. So I thought I would go to that and that maybe it is hidden further down. Interestingly, no. It did not even rate a mention under 'Fresh ideas for work and family', which was apparently about financial assistance for small business, I think it was, to balance work and family. The only enlightenment I got from reading that, Senator Williams, was the fact that there was no more money available and that it had actually shut.

In all of this website there is absolutely nothing on policies for child care. Given that prior to the election, as Senator Farrell was saying earlier, this was all very clear in the minds of people out there in the community, perhaps the minister might like to give us more information—and I thank you because it is the first information we have had about the community consultation. How many forums were held and roughly where across the country? I am genuinely interested just to get the spread of where that community consultation took place.