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

I move:

That there be laid on the table no later than 28 November 2013 by the Minister representing the Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare, a report by the Productivity Commission into:

(a) the affordability, flexibility, accessibility and quality of early childhood education and care; and

(b) all Commonwealth funding options and models for various types of care, including long-day care, in-home care, occasional care, family day care, outside-school-hours care and care for children with special needs.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a brief statement.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. I note that this motion is substantially the same as the motion moved in May, to which the responsible minister for the Productivity Commission has already replied stating the government's position. We have already undertaken a significant recent inquiry through the Productivity Commission which reviewed the early childhood development workforce. While there is always room to improve childcare assistance, the government is not focused on reviews and inquiries; we are getting on with real investment, support and programs that will help families access child care and give more parents the opportunity to participate in the workforce.

Unlike the coalition and the Greens, we will not be calling a Productivity Commission review reporting after the election in order to avoid public scrutiny of our policies before the election. Australian families deserve to know what each party stands for, and our government stands for a record of $22.3 billion investment in early childhood education and care to make it more affordable, more accessible and the high quality that Australian children deserve.

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

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

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

Thank you, Mr Deputy President. It is extremely disappointing that the government is refusing to acknowledge that we have a crisis in the childcare sector, that families are struggling with the fee increases around the country, that places are simply not available and that the best way of ensuring that we have good, quality care for our children is to fund it properly.

Currently the government has done nothing to increase the funding of childcare services to deliver those good, quality outcomes. Unless we underpin those quality outcomes by proper government funding, we will not deliver good, quality care that is accessible, flexible and affordable for families. It is time the government stopped putting their head in the sand on this issue and acknowledge that it needs to be fixed. If you do not have the answers yourself, it is about time you asked somebody else to enquire into it for you.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Hanson-Young be agreed to.