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

Senator Birmingham. Sorry about that. Senator Bernardi has indeed left the debate at this stage. Senator Birmingham highlights the point about supporting services, and I think we have lost in this discussion the point I made at the very commencement, which is that all the savings achieved through these measures, which will impact less than one per cent of families, families earning $100,000 per year, are being directed to assist services to deliver the national quality framework. This is not money being taken out of child care. Child care itself, to revisit Senator Nash's earlier words, is not being used as a cash cow. We are reconfiguring a marginal element of the significant support that has achieved such significant reductions in the out-of-pocket expenses of Australian families over the last two to three years. We are redirecting a very marginal element of that, in savings, towards supporting services to deliver better quality care. Question put.

That the amendments (Senator Jacinta Collins's ) be agreed to.

The committee divided. [11.02]

(The Chairman—Senator Parry)

Question agreed to.

Question put:

That the bill as amended, be agreed to.

The committee divided. [11.06]

(The Chairman—Senator Parry)

Question agreed to. Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Bill reported with amendments; report adopted.