Page 4078 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 2010
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Childcare is expensive and it requires a significant portion of families’ budgets. Being a working mother myself over many, many years, I have probably spent on childcare an amount where I could have bought an investment property by this stage. Unfortunately that is the nature of it. We do have advice from the 2008-09 review of government services, the RoGS data that Mrs Dunne referred to, that the ACT has the highest rates of childcare costs in Australia.
I mentioned in this place in February this year when I spoke to a motion on childcare services moved by Mrs Dunne that it is important that we understand that, while childcare in the ACT is expensive, it has to do with the market and the market setting costs. There is significant demand for childcare services in the ACT from families with an average income which is relatively high compared to other jurisdictions. The problem, of course, is that those on the lower incomes are faced with even a higher proportion of costs.
A large proportion, around 80 per cent, of our childcare providers are community based, with many of them operating on a not-for-profit basis. Attracting and retaining a strong childcare workforce for this sector is naturally a priority, and it means wages are often paid above the award level. The domino effect of that is that other childcare providers need to do the same in order to attract and retain staff.
All parents want the best quality childcare for their children, but this quality childcare does cost if a proper wage is paid, as I said, to attract and retain that qualified staff. You cannot allocate a low level wage to those with the responsibility of looking after children. New research has been commissioned by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union, the childcare union, and it shows that over 90 per cent of parents support childcare reform and 84 per cent support a small increase in fees if it leads to better educational training and care and also child development programs.
In a survey commissioned by the LHMU, more than 1,500 parents were surveyed. Sue Lyons, who is the assistant national secretary of the union, has said that this survey proves parents see quality childcare as an important issue and are willing to pay a small amount more to get the best start in life for their children.
The research found 90 per cent of parents support the proposed changes to childcare, which will be gradually phased in over coming years. The changes will bring standardised qualifications for professionals in the sector and increase the number of childcare professionals for each child, ensuring children have better access to qualified professionals. Improved staffing begins in 2012, with the certificate III qualification becoming the entry level required for the profession by 2014. We have heard that from the minister and Mrs Dunne this afternoon.
When asked to give an exact figure, 41.8 per cent said they would be willing to pay somewhere in the region of $1 to $5 a day extra, with 37.8 per cent of respondents willing to spend more than $5. According to figures from the federal government, the national average increase will be $3.10 a day, after subsidies like the childcare rebate. In meeting the demand for childcare, we need to recognise that investment in our childcare workers is vital and that workforce shortages are addressed through a commitment of assisting with professional development and training of childcare
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