Page 4841 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 25 October 2011
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significant part of the household budget. I do not think that is necessarily something that we should support into the future, but, at this point, I believe we need to look at how we can ensure affordable childcare, and there are a range of options.
Today we are talking about centres, but there is family day care. Many families, because of the number of children they have or because they have an arrangement with another family, may well employ their own nanny, for instance. Mrs Dunne spoke about extended family—grandparents, aunts and uncles—who may provide assistance and care, and that is not always done under duress. For many, that is a very important part of a child connecting and spending time with loved ones, with family members. But we need to be aware that it is a cost issue for a number of families. We need to look at how we can ensure that families are not driven out of the formalised care-giving system because of that issue.
I will finish with a little bit more focus on the workforce development issues. It is something we are going to have to get a handle on. If we are looking at increasing the number of childcare spaces—we have had some increases in funding and there will be more childcare spaces available—we are going to have to have the qualified workforce in place. We need to be looking at that issue of how many exemptions are being given to centres across Canberra at the moment because of issues around people not having qualifications or centres not having the staff numbers needed.
It is important to have that exemption provision, but if organisations are consistently asking for exemptions then we really need to get to the heart of the matter. Much of that goes back to ensuring that we look at remuneration for workers in this area, particularly as we are asking them to improve their qualifications. It is important that that goes hand in hand with a wages schedule that reflects the work that they do.
Having been a mum who used childcare, I have a lot of time and respect for those people who choose that as their vocation, because it is a bit of a vocation to be in a childcare centre all day with a range of different children. I think it is similar to being a teacher. Again, we need to keep a very close eye on what is happening with the workforce issues, particularly with this change and increase in the child to staff ratios.
To reiterate, the Greens will be supporting the passage of this bill today, and I will return to my amendment in the detail stage.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation) (10.44): I am very pleased to have the opportunity to support the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Bill. As my colleague Minister Burch has already outlined, the purpose of this bill is to implement national law within the territory which will integrate the territory’s approach to early childhood education and care and outside school hours care into a standard national quality system.
As members of the Assembly would be aware, on 7 December 2009 the Council of Australian Governments signed a national partnership agreement on the national quality agenda for early childhood education and care. Under the national partnership,
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