Page 5792 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 7 December 2011
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With regard to (2)(b), the Greens will support the government’s amendment to table in the Assembly by the first sitting day in 2012 its strategy to assist the childcare sector in the ACT to implement the national quality agenda, as was proposed in Mrs Dunne’s motion. During 2011 the ACT government made announcements about some of the supports it was putting in place to work with the sector to ensure a smooth transition to the new standards, including a $60 million support package announced through the ACT budget. I would like to see how some of these strategies are progressing in the ACT and whether they are having a positive impact on the transition arrangements in the sector.
The ACT childcare sector is generally well placed to transition to the new standards. We have a good track record with regard to the new educator to child ratios outlined in the standards for children over two years, and almost half of all providers already meet the new ratio for children under two years of age. However, it will be necessary to develop a strategy about how we support workers to increase and improve their qualifications, how we encourage new workers into the sector and what impact and pressure the up-skilling may have on the vocational education and training sector here in the ACT. The scholarship programs for those training to be childcare workers announced by the government can be only one part of what needs to be a suite of strategies to achieve a strong workforce and the retention of these workers in our childcare sector.
As I said, the ACT Greens support these reforms. It is important that we have high quality childcare services provided and that we have people with the qualifications, but of course if we are going to attract and retain workers into this sector we need to pay them a wage that shows that we value the work they do. We must also acknowledge the qualifications that they are achieving and have already gained. It is also important that we keep an eye on some of the centres who may find it difficult to transition. Some of that is about the ratios and some of that relates to how facilities have to physically change in order to incorporate the change in the worker to child ratio, particularly for younger children. I have spoken before about a centre that is finding it difficult—(Time expired.)
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (11.53): I rise to support Mrs Dunne’s motion. Before I do speak to the motion in detail, I think that it is worth responding to the minister’s comments, which in part were a slur on Mrs Dunne and somehow attacked Mrs Dunne for commentary supposedly made about working mothers. I think even Ms Hunter was rolling her eyes at that part.
Mrs Dunne is a working mother. Mrs Dunne has five children, two of whom have disabilities. I think it is extraordinary that the minister would spend so much of her speech attacking Mrs Dunne and attacking the Canberra Liberals rather than defending her own policy and her own government’s performance. When she attacks Mrs Dunne, all she does is highlight the contrast between what Mrs Dunne has done in this place and what the minister has done.
I commend Mrs Dunne for taking leadership on this issue, for bringing this motion before the Assembly and for continually fighting for the families of Canberra who
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