6 years ago
LOOMING CHANGES LEAVE FAMILIES THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORSE OFF
AMANDA RISHWORTH MP
Today’s reports show once again that one in four families will be worse off under the Turnbull Government’s new unfair child care system.
And it will cost them thousands to replace the days of early learning they are losing.
It will cost, on average, $5,300 a year for families on less than $65,710 that don’t meet the Liberals’ new activity test to replace the day of care they are losing.
Forsingle income families of those marginally attached to the labour market, they will pay more than $10,000 more a year to replace the two days of care they are losing.
It’s like these families don’t exist to this Minister and this Government.
They are families with seasonal, irregular or casual work that won’t pass the Liberals’ new activity test.
They are families with a parent at home with children who is also caring for an elderly parent .
From tomorrow, children in these families will have reduced access to early learning thanks to this government’s new changes.
The Government admits 15per cent of families have yet to register for their new system – why would these families bother to register?
To highlight again how heartless this government is comes today’s reports that it was only this week that the Government bothered to release new guidelines to providers on how to implement changes to support for vulnerable children.
Vulnerable children are the ones who are set to benefit most from access to early childhood education, and centres have only just been handed a 71-page guide on how these changes will impact their ability to care for these children.
Of most concern,centres are no longer required to treat vulnerable children as a priority, and centres have to collect any evidence of risk or harm, and inform families, before they can send in the paperwork. These changes will drown centres in red tape and most likely drive families out of the system.
The Minister promised a system that was simpler and fairer for families. But all he has delivered is a complex system which families and centres alike are struggling to understand, and which from tomorrow leaves one in four families worse off.