Page 1348 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 12 May 1993
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These centres do provide ready access to child-care during the day for our own employees. They also are able to make spaces available for other government employees and, as well, for some members of the community. They get any spaces that are not currently in use. The fees that are paid at these child-care centres are the usual rate, as far as I am aware, and the usual arrangements apply for staff using those child-care centres, whereby they may have access to the various remissions and so on. Mrs Carnell has specifically asked why we allow the YWCA to operate the Campbell child-care centre as a profit making exercise. It is my understanding that it is not a profit making exercise and that the YWCA is not a profit making body.
Madam Speaker, I think that these arrangements are adequate and appropriate for our own employees. I would like to see further such child-care centres operated, if it is possible to do so, at other centres - for example, Tuggeranong - and also, if possible again, to operate them in conjunction, say, with the Commonwealth Government, which also has large numbers of employees in the ACT. It is because we wish women, in particular, not to be disadvantaged in the workplace, not to be disadvantaged in the ACT Government Service, that we have made these arrangements, and I think that that is an entirely appropriate approach, given the disadvantage that many women still face in the paid work force.
MRS CARNELL: I have a supplementary question. I understand that the Campbell child-care centre gives priority of access to staff of the ACT Government Service over members of the broader community. I also understand that of the 55 places at the centre only 15 are occupied by children of ACT Government Service employees. Is the Chief Minister concerned that the Campbell child-care centre is getting a commercial advantage, a commercial benefit, over other private child-care centres from this government policy? Will the Government change its policy and start collecting commercial rent from this commercial - I stress commercial - enterprise?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I would say to Mrs Carnell again that it is not a commercial enterprise. The children enrolled at Campbell do include 15 children of ACT government employees. There are, in total, 40 children attending the centre. There are another 20 children of ACT government employees who are enrolled to commence, I am advised, by the end of June, so by that time the proportion of ACT Government Service workers with children at that centre will have increased. I think that the fact that we are able, by making these arrangements for our own Government Service employees, to free up other places in community child-care arrangements is again an added step that we have taken towards assisting women to get affordable and appropriate child-care. I think that Mrs Carnell would agree, even though she may not say that she agrees, that access to child-care is one of the most important aspects of women gaining a place in paid employment and being able to work productively and without the worry that might be associated with inappropriate child-care arrangements.
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