Page 3910 - Week 09 - Thursday, 25 August 2011
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and that the lower rate is frozen for three years. No doubt the minister has done some analysis and developed strategies in relation to the impact of this reduced rebate, because she has been aware of it for some time—at least 16 months. Minister, how many Canberra families will be impacted by the lower rebate in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14?
MS BURCH: I will remind Mr Doszpot—
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order members!
MS BURCH: that the cap came into place in 2010—
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: One moment, Minister Burch, thank you. I mentioned in this chamber yesterday—stop the clocks, thank you—that it is against the standing orders to throw gratuitous insults across the chamber on a repeated basis. Mr Hanson, you are a particular offender. I consider this to be unparliamentary behaviour, and I will start to enforce those rules more strictly from now on, because it has reached a point that I think is unacceptable in this chamber. Ms Burch, you have the floor.
MS BURCH: Thank you. Mr Speaker, more than 14,000 Canberra families are receiving the childcare rebate and are, on average, $1,255 better off a year since federal Labor increased the rebate from 30 to 50 per cent three years ago. The average family income being spent on childcare has almost halved since 2004, dropping from 13 per cent to just seven per cent in 2010 for families with one child in care and earning $75,000 a year.
Mr Seselja: A point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: One moment, Minister Burch. Mr Seselja, a point of order.
Mr Seselja: The question was very specific. It was about the cap on the rebate and it was about what would be the impact of this cap on families in Canberra over three financial years. The minister is not going close to addressing that question, and I ask you to ask her to be directly relevant to the very specific question.
MR SPEAKER: I think there is latitude for the minister to set out the historical context, but I expect you to come to the question shortly, minister.
MS BURCH: I think the answer to the question is the impact of the cap on the rebate on Canberra families, and that impact is that since 2004 the out-of-pocket expenses have dropped from 13 to seven per cent. The impact on 14,000 families is that they are $1,255 better off. So we know that since the cap has been introduced at—
Mr Seselja: A point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Order, one moment, Ms Burch, thank you.
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