Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Cheaper Child Care) Bill 2022. Under the reckless governing by those opposite, childcare costs were allowed to increase by 41 per cent over the past eight years, and the cost of living was allowed to skyrocket. This has had a devastating impact on Australian families and their ability to send children—their children—to early education and care. It is also a further reflection of the lack of importance and value that the coalition places on women in the workforce and the benefits of childcare and early childhood education.

The cheaper childcare bill is an important and necessary bill that will help make a meaningful difference to the lives of Australian families, to the Australian job market and to the Australian economy. It is a multibillion dollar commitment to Australian families and to our children, and it holds another Albanese government election commitment. We value families and children, and we want to see them thrive. As a mother myself, I understand just how important it is to have the options available for affordable early education and care for our children. This bill is a crucial step in helping women return to the paid workforce.

I make the reference to paid work because, as everyone who is a parent will agree, parenting is one of the hardest and most underpaid jobs you will ever do, and I don't want to diminish the value of that important work. But, for those parents who want to return to the paid workforce, this bill will make it more accessible for them. It is widely known that in Australia mothers are typically the parents who spend more time raising their children. In 2016, the Australian Institute of Family Studies found that approximately five per cent of families had a stay-at-home father compared to 27 per cent having a stay-at-home mother. It was also estimated that fathers spent approximately 13 hours a week on child care compared to a mother's 27 hours. This is a huge difference, and mothers who want to return to work need affordable child care. Otherwise, it simply isn't a feasible option.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics announced in February 2022 that there were approximately 745,000 people who wanted to work and were able to begin that work within four weeks but were still unable to. Of these people, 113,600 were unable to work due to childcare constraints, and 106,800 were women. Better enabling the approximately 106,800 women who have been unable to join the workforce will contribute to gender equality by accelerating work to close the workforce participation, pay and, very importantly, superannuation gaps. According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, the national gender pay gap is currently 14.1 per cent. This bill will help reduce this and will allow women to better support themselves now and into the future. This is a win for women, for their families and for the Australian economy.

This bill will enable more children to access early childhood education and care. This is so important when it comes to helping set up our children for formal schooling in later years. This bill will support approximately 16,400 Tasmanian families. They will get the help that they need. This is a significant step in filling these gaps. It will also reduce the cost-of-living pressures. Parents who want to will be able to return to the workforce, where their skills and knowledge will be greatly appreciated.

With the timely passing of this legislation, these changes should come into effect by July 2023. This will be such a relief for Australian families. This bill is not a handout; it's an investment in women, in children, in families and in the Australian jobs sector, and, most importantly, it will enable these women and these families to contribute to our economy. Supporting families and children in Australia should be a bipartisan issue. We shouldn't be them versus us, so I urge those opposite and around the chamber to support this very important piece of legislation.