Page 150 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010
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clear. It measures the ACT, a city-state, with states and territories which have large regional areas. The figures draw a false comparison with our metropolitan jurisdictions.
Comparing Canberra to other urban areas provides a more accurate comparison. The commonwealth government’s mychild website indicates that most weekly rates for centre-based childcare in inner-city Sydney range from $375 a week to $520 a week. Wollongong and Newcastle range from $300 to $375. This compares with the cost in the ACT of $325, as reported in the report on government services.
Those opposite are comparing Cunnamulla with Canberra on childcare. There are other market factors that influence cost as well. The ACT has the highest per capita income across jurisdictions in Australia and has one of the highest percentages of working parents. This does drive demand and competition. The capacity of parents to pay influences the varying degrees of cost of childcare provided to their children.
I note the assistance for families who struggle to achieve these costs. This includes a rebate to parents for the cost of childcare of up to 50 per cent of fees provided by the Labor federal government. The ACT government is helping our families. We have provided increased funding for the provision of childcare services, spending $632 per child aged from birth to 12 years of age, an increase of $145 from the previous year. Compare that to an average spend of $353 that they like to point to.
The increase reflects in part the establishment of the state-of-the-art early childhood schools. The ACT government has been listening to the childcare sector. We work with the childcare services forum, which is composed of representatives from the private and community-based childcare sectors and have been providing government with valuable information on childcare sector development, including our commitment to quality reforms in childcare.
I do not think those opposite are really interested in quality childcare. They only seek to misrepresent our childcare sector by making false cost comparisons. They have noted that 80 per cent of our childcare providers are community based and I am sure that each and every one of them must be disappointed when they hear those opposite say that they believe they are charging too much for those services.
Before I move to housing, I would like to make comment on Mrs Dunne’s child protection comments. She continues with the nonsense that she has continued with this week. We have shown yesterday, and I am quite happy to keep on reminding Mrs Dunne, that we have continued investment. We are up to over $44 million in the child protection line. We have also invested in child and family centres, which they do not seem to get. I think Ms Bresnan seems to indicate that they cannot quite come to grips with early intervention and prevention strategies.
Indeed, I do recognise that there was a $68 million investment post-Vardon report over four years. That did reconfigure and change our child protection system that gives us our working system that we have now. One of the facts that they are forgetting to admit is that we have the highest, most stable placements in child protection. They are not interested in children being located with stable families so
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