Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hope that Minister Carr will answer my questions with such enthusiasm. My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Senator Carr. On 22 October, during estimates, the minister’s department assured us that the government had a contingency plan for dealing with the potential collapse of ABC Learning. We now know that we are facing a childcare crisis, with the potential closure of almost 400 centres around the country, leaving thousands and thousands of mums and dads in the lurch before Christmas. On 22 October we were told by the minister that she had a plan. Where is the plan?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hanson-Young for her question. The government has provided $22 million to ensure all ABC centres remain open until 31 December. The Australian government has committed up to $22 million to ensure that that happens, to provide some security for parents, for staff and of course for children using those centres. However, since that has occurred, there has been a movement towards voluntary liquidation and an attempt made by the receiver to try to work through the issues in dealing with the other centres that are now in question—other than those that have indicated that there will be ongoing operations. We are expecting further announcements from the receiver to be made shortly, and it is my expectation that in terms of the existing 656 identified centres that will continue their operations in 2009, there will of course be further developments from the receiver in the near future. The centres that remain under review by the receiver have been selected and have a larger proportion of younger children up to two years of age. The receiver is very clear that the centres on his list will not necessarily close. A proportion is expected to remain open. I am advised that the receiver is reviewing the future prospects of each of these centres, based on their individual merits. The Australian government is playing a strong and decisive role in supporting this process and has, as I have indicated, committed $22 million to ensure that that process can run smoothly.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I thank the minister for his answer and I ask a supplementary question. Today is the last day of parliament—the last day that the minister has an opportunity to level with Australian mums and dads, to tell the parliament, as requested time and time again over the last few weeks, what the minister’s contingency plan is. If I wanted the details on what the receiver was doing, I would give them a call. I want to know what the education minister’s contingency plan is.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government, I repeat, has taken decisive action to ensure that working parents have access to child care. We are working closely with the ABC Learning receivers to determine the longer-term future of the 386 centres, and more information will be provided to parents in the near future. We are anticipating that that close working relationship with the receiver will mean that the determinations on those 386 centres—well, of course, it is under review, and we expect the decisions on those matters to be made shortly.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Given that the Senate passed a motion on 10 November calling on the minister to hold an emergency summit of stakeholders and yet we have had no response, and given that the Senate called on the minister yesterday to table her plan for 2009 to ensure that parents had some certainty for the care of their children when they return from Christmas, is it right to assume that the minister has little regard for the decisions made by the Senate, and little regard for the concerns of parents? Is the minister snubbing the Senate? And is the minister snubbing Australian mums and dads?

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Come on, Michael; come on down. You could do better than they are! Come on, Michael.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I am not going to sit here and call for order. I am waiting for silence.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The senator, I think, should have heard me on the first and second occasions on which I have indicated to her that our actions are predicated on the fact that we are determined to ensure that we are able to help families and help workers involved directly in industry to maintain employment and that people have direct access to child care. We are working very closely with the receiver. As to the issue of the minister’s attitude towards the Senate, she works very closely with senators and is determined to ensure that the government’s legislative program is carried out. She takes the opinions of the Senate very seriously, and I have got no doubt that, like all ministers in this government, we will be able to work very cooperatively with senators who actually have their eye on the ball.