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

I thank Senator Brockman, a father of three very young children, who has a very passionate interest in early childhood education and care, for his question. The Turnbull government is delivering the most comprehensive reforms of childcare support in Australian history and in doing so is helping to provide additional support to almost one million hardworking Australian families. Our reforms will ensure that those Australians who are working the longest hours receive the greatest number of hours of entitlement to childcare support and subsidy. Our reforms will ensure that those Australians who are earning the least amount of money from their hard work and toil receive the greatest level of subsidy and financial assistance for their childcare reforms. Our view is that childcare costs shouldn't dictate how long, how hard or how many hours or days a parent chooses to work; that we ought to empower that decision in Australian families; and, indeed, that our reforms will help to do so.

Let me give Senator Brockman and all senators some examples. For example, an Australian family earning $50,000 per annum, with two children in child care for a few days a week, will be an estimated $3,000 a year better off thanks to the Turnbull government's reforms. A family earning $94,000 per annum, similarly with two children in child care for two days a week, would be more than $1,500 a year better off. These are the hardest-working Australian families, doing their bit, and they will receive more assistance thanks to our reforms.

And we have made all of this information available to Australian families. I would urge any family interested in preparing next year for the implementation of our reforms to check the child care estimator on the Department of Education and Training's web site to see how it will benefit their families so they can make the work and family decisions that suit them for the year ahead.