Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is the Minister representing the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Minister Watt. Today's long-awaited Productivity Commission report into Australia's early childhood education and care system recommended the government make child care free for low-income families. Free and universal child care is something that the Greens took to the last election and have been campaigning on for decades. Minister, when will your government act to finally make child care free?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Hodgins-May. I'm always very pleased when the Greens party ask me questions about early childhood education and care because no government in Australia's history has done more to support early childhood education and care than the Albanese Labor government. We have agreed to fund a much-deserved pay rise for early education and care workers of 15 per cent, starting in December this year. I have spoken before about the support that we have provided to provide cheaper child care to Australian families and to make it more accessible whether people live in the cities or in the regions.

I wasn't aware of this because I haven't spent a lot of time looking at the Greens' platform but apparently the Greens' platform at the last election talked about universal child care but, you know—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just wait; it is going to be worth waiting for. The Greens' platform said a lot of things at the last election including support for Help to Buy. That was what the Greens' platform said. And for the last week, we've seen the Greens in cahoots with Peter Dutton and the coalition stopping Labor delivering Help to Buy even though it is in their own platform, so it would appear you don't even believe your own platform. You would much rather pair up with Peter Dutton and the coalition to stop something in your own platform than actually help Australians buy their own home, get early childhood education and care. Tell us what else is in your platform.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hodgins-May, on a point of order?

Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, I draw the minister 's attention to relevance. I didn't ask about housing; I asked when the Labor government will make child care free.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hodgins-May, please resume your seat. I will come back to you.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order on my left and right! The senator has a right to call the point of order and I certainly need to hear that point of order. Senator Hodgins-May.

Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, President. My point of order was on relevance. I was not asking about housing; I was asking about when the Labor government will commit to making child care free for all Australian families.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. I'm going to ask the minister to continue.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, President. I can understand why, in this of all weeks, the Greens don't want to talk about housing. I can understand that, because we can know that they are divided even in their own party room about housing and how they should handle this because we know that some of them acknowledge that we should be delivering more housing and we should be helping renters buy homes, but unfortunately the Trots in the Greens have taken over and are stopping any sensible solution on that. Labor has done more on early childhood education and care than any other government. We will continue to do so because we respect the need of Australians to have that service. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister Watt. I will remind you to refer to leaders in the other house by their correct titles. Senator Hodgins-May?

Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let's try again, shall we? Minister, this year we've had two government commissioned reports on child care released, the ACCC's and now the Productivity Commission's, both of which confirmed what we already know about Australia's broken education system. Now the government is claiming you need more time to consult. Minister, surely, it's time for a little less conversation and a lot more action. Will your government commit today to fully implementing the Productivity Commission's recommendations in recognition that every kid in the country deserves access to high-quality early education and care?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Hodgins-May. Well, yes, I am aware that the government has received two reports about matters to do with early childhood education and care. That's because we commissioned them. That's because we want to do something about early childhood education and care. We're not about grandstanding; we're about actually delivering. I know, again, that's something the Greens can't quite get their heads around—this notion of delivering. It's about grandstanding.

What I also know is that members of our own caucus here have done more to support early childhood education and care than any single Greens MP or senator ever will. People like Senator Bilyk, who worked in the sector for a long time, and people like Senator Grogan, Senator Walsh and many others here who have worked in the sector and supported workers won't be taking lectures from the Greens party about platforms that they don't believe in themselves and pair up with Peter Dutton to vote against. What we're going to do is deliver better early childhood education and care, as we are doing, and we're going to support the workers in that industry to get the pay rise that they absolutely deserve.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, I will remind you again to please refer to the leader in the other house by his correct title. Senator Hodgins-May?

Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, last month I asked you why the Labor government wasn't abolishing the child care subsidy activity test, a cruel and punitive test that unfairly punishes low-income families and keeps women out of work. You replied that you're waiting for the Productivity Commission to release its final report. Well, today this report—a report that you've had since June—confirms the need to abolish the activity test. So I ask again: will you now commit to immediately abolishing the punitive activity test?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm waiting for silence before I call the minister. Minister Watt.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Hodgins-May. I understand that it must be frustrating as a Greens member to only ever have the opportunity to ask about what someone could do because you can't actually do something yourself. But Labor is more focused on actually doing something in this space. That is why we have made child care cheaper for Australian families. That is why we have agreed to fund a pay rise for early childhood education and care workers, as they deserve. That is why we have made changes to support—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, please resume your seat. Order, across the chamber!

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Maybe just start out!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, which bit of 'order' did not apply to you?

Order! Senator McKim, equally, which piece of 'order' doesn't apply to you? I've asked for order. That is what I expect.

Senator Bilyk, seriously! Minister Watt, please continue.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, President. The government, of course, recognises that there's additional work to do to ensure more families in Australia can access—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Minister Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, which is the shouting by Senator McKim. The Greens are very, very quick to jump if people don't comply with the standing orders. They appear to think they don't apply to them. The minister had barely got to his feet and Senator McKim started shouting again.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Wong, I'm sure you're aware I have called for respectful silence right across the chamber. I have called senators by their names, so I will continue to try and manage the Senate. I will, again, remind all senators that the term 'order' applies to everyone. Minister Watt, please continue.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, the government recognises there is additional work to do to ensure more families in Australia can access quality early childhood education and care. I can tell you there's only one party in this chamber that will ever deliver it, and that is the Labor Party. We know what happened under the coalition. We know the Greens will never get the ability to deliver anything whatsoever other than helping Peter Dutton stop housing. You're pretty good at that! But you don't ever deliver anything on early childhood education and care.