Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition (Social and Community Affairs)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Scullion, the Minister representing the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Does the minister agree with the analysis by Treasury that parents who cannot find affordable child care for their kids are just being ‘too choosy’ and that there is no childcare crisis in Australia?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question. We have heard much about this and I certainly have been reading in the papers some criticism from those on the other side in terms of the provision of child care and the cost of child care. I can make one absolutely categorical statement to this place: child care is more affordable and more available under this government than it ever was under Labor. We will invest $10 billion over the next four years. We have doubled the money and we have doubled the number of places.

It is interesting to hear from those on the other side that they have a whole range of new policies in this area. In terms of availability, they have said that they have a brand new policy. Of course I have touched on some of the government’s own policies, and I am very confident to be on this side. I recognise in their new policy that they are going to have a new hub, a new hotline. But our hotline, of course, has been widely available to Australians for the last six months. I am not suggesting in a cynical sense that they are looking for leadership on this matter from this side, but one suspects it is all too little too late. Their hub—

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order going to relevance. The minister was asked a specific question about his government’s Treasury’s analysis. The minister might want to talk about hubs, but I suggest he open his file—I know he is a new minister—

Ian Campbell (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What’s the point of order?

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Campbell, come to order. I cannot hear what the member is saying.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and find the section that says ‘child care’ and have a crack at answering the question.

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Scullion, I remind you that you have 2½ minutes to complete your answer. I would remind you of the question.

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not going to speak to the point of order. In terms of a direct answer to the question, which is only a very small part of what we are talking about, the Treasury report actually indicates that, as a percentage of disposable income, the cost of child care has not gone up. People who come into this place should read those reports very carefully and not try to slice out little parts of them to suit themselves.

Those on the other side support the notional policy that they are going to make it much easier to find out where the vacancies are. There will be 600 new lists in local governments across the place. That is going to make it easier! Six hundred new places to call. There is an answer to this and it is very simple and it exists today. Ring the hotline, 1800370305—sorry, 1800670305. That is the number.

George Campbell (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator George Campbell interjecting—

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will repeat it. It is a very important number. It is 1800670305. Any parent can ring that number and they can get information on real issues.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senators on my left, all we can hear is an unholy noise from that side of the chamber. I ask you to come to order.

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those on the other side simply confuse the issues. This government is providing sensible policies that actually assist parents in finding child care. That is an excellent hotline and it is much simpler than this notional new hub those opposite will create. The other part of their policy is: ‘We’re going to build 200 new childcare centres.’ They cannot tell us where—that is a secret at the moment, of course. The indication was that it would perhaps be in school grounds. If you ask the schools, they cannot find the room for them and they do not know where they are going to go. Again, those on the other side come from a government with a record of having half the number of childcare places we have made available and providing half the money that we are providing.

Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition (Social and Community Affairs)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask a supplementary question, Mr President. I do appreciate that the minister is new to his portfolio, but is the minister aware that the Productivity Commission has found that child care now costs families an average of $233 per week? Is the minister further aware that $233 a week represents 22 per cent of average weekly earnings? Isn’t it a fact that families are spending almost one-quarter of their income on child care, one of the reasons why his colleague the Liberal member for Mackellar, Mrs Bishop, was furious with the Treasury’s so-called analysis?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, those from the other side seek to misrepresent the facts. Isn’t it cynical to come into this place and say ‘child care costs more’? Of course things cost more. What they fail to say is that it does not cost more against disposable income, because they fail to say something about what they did not deliver, which is of course what we provide—the childcare benefit and the childcare tax rebate. The childcare benefit delivers $2,000 on average to families per year and the childcare tax rebate provides up to 30 per cent of out-of-pocket expenses, up to $4,000 per child per year. So you can come in here with distorted facts that seek to misinform the public. The Senate should be here to make sure that the public understands exactly what the circumstances are. This government is providing excellent child care to Australians. (Time expired)