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

I thank Senator Gichuhi for her question and her strong and passionate interest in the wellbeing of Australian families and children. The benefits of continuing to deliver a stronger economy are not just those that Senator Cormann's already outlined today about bringing the budget back to balance and to surplus and to provide tax relief to Australian families but also those benefits flow into support for essential services that are so important to Australian families. In this regard, the Turnbull government is pleased that, from July this year, our new childcare subsidy system will come into effect and, in doing so, we will be delivering a policy that provides an additional $2½ billion worth of investment in supporting Australian families to access more affordable childcare services that enable them to work the hours and days that suit their family's circumstances.

Our reforms will benefit around one million Australian families. And, in doing so, projections estimate that around 230,000 Australians will choose to either participate in the workforce for the first time or increase their participation in the workforce. That is a critical achievement because it builds on the fact that, under our government, we already have female workforce participation in Australia at its highest ever level. Of course, providing better, more effective, more affordable childcare support can only build on those achievements to date, hence the reality that we expect to see enhanced participation. People will choose to participate more because, for around 85 per cent of Australian families, our reforms will eliminate the current cap they face in relation to the childcare subsidy they receive during the course of the year. But it's not just in relation to the childcare subsidy that we're providing additional support; we also in this budget announced a further extension of support for access to quality preschool services, continuing to guarantee universal access to preschool for Australian four-year-olds.