Page 3582 - Week 08 - Friday, 24 August 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
We have seen the Vardon report, which was supposed to bring about change, but that change has never really eventuated. There is, without a doubt, more money in the system. The government’s only metric about performance is how much money they spend. They say, “As a result of the Vardon report we have put millions and millions more money into the system, and we have seen that this budget again puts millions and millions of dollars into the system.” But what do we have to show for it?
The Public Advocate’s two reports, which were brought about by the persistence of the Canberra Liberals, indicate that very little has changed. Very little of substance has changed since the Vardon report in 2004. It is so bad that the Public Advocate had to point out that the changes in procedures required by the Vardon report have never been written down. The policy and procedure manuals that are supposed to be available to staff were not available. Seven years after the Vardon report we now have the government saying, “We will write the procedure manuals.” This is a symptom of all the failings of this department.
There are a few issues which are of considerable concern to the community. I note that, for instance, we have the issue that, over the next three years, this government is going to rip $1.4 million by way of a contribution out of the community sector to fund issues of efficiency and to look at issues in relation to the equal pay case for the community sector. We consider this an efficiency dividend. This contribution to a red-tape committee—if it were not so unfunny, people would think it was a joke. The community sector is outraged by this, and there are real concerns about the viability of the community sector, a sector that this minister is supposed to be upholding.
It is interesting that last night Minister Barr spoke about the improvements and the issues that have come out of the business red-tape committee. It is worth noting that Treasury is funding that on behalf of the people of the ACT, to ensure that businesses are more viable. But the community sector is being asked to foot the bill for this. This is a poor joke being played on the great service providers in the community sector.
There are concerns also in that there is money in the budget this year in relation to childcare, but for the most part it is too little and it is too late. There is $2½ million to upgrade community childcare centres. This is something that we have been calling for for a very long time. I spent a long time asking the minister to look at these issues before the 2012 standards came into operation, because many childcare centres needed to make physical adjustments to ensure that they could comply with the 2012 standards, which commenced on 1 January. To have $2½ million in the budget which is being passed today seems a little too late.
I note that there is $1.67 million for regulatory support for the childcare sector. I thought that perhaps this would be useful because it would help people in the childcare sector, mainly people in the volunteer and the community sector, to get on board with the regulations. But during the estimates process I discovered that it is for more public servants. It is for more people to do inspections of childcare centres rather than money to help the childcare sector get on board with the changes that were brought about at the beginning of 2012 and other changes which will come into operation in 2014.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video