Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I do not think that Senator Macdonald properly understood the response I gave to Senator Nash, and this might help resolve some of his questions—certainly the questions that relate to this measure as opposed to the carbon tax measures that he occupied a good 10 minutes of the time for this debate addressing. It is a very important issue and that is why the government does have contingency plans with respect to the carbon tax in terms of household compensation and the increase in income support for households.

Senator Ian Macdonald interjecting—

I think we will stay on child care, Senator Macdonald. The point I made in respect of Senator Nash's comments reflecting on the New South Wales modelling was that in New South Wales they introduced the one-to-four ratio at the start of this year and the cost increases, if at all, were marginal—essentially in the order of inflation—and were nowhere near what was suggested certainly by some of the modelling similar to that which has occurred in Queensland. The point I was making further to that was that if and where there have been cost increases, the media discussion of those increases has highlighted the full cost rather than the out-of-pocket expenses for families, which of course have been assisted by the childcare rebate and the childcare benefit.