Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

Around one million Australian families will be better off as a result of the work that the Turnbull government is doing to fix and reform our childcare system. We are putting in place a light-touch activity test, which will ensure that the support is targeted to those who are working, training, studying, looking for work or volunteering, that those who most need assistance for child care are the ones who can guarantee that they can access that assistance. This comes on top of the fact that we are supporting early learning outcomes, particularly through our 15 hours a week of guaranteed preschool or kindergarten access, backed by a further $843 million in federal government funding.

Pleasingly, the Goodstart research indicates that lower childcare costs will ensure that working parents will increase their hours and that parents who would not otherwise work will enter the workforce, ensuring that we lift productivity while helping Australia's hardest-working families.