Page 96 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 25 February 2014
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Labor government we have not seen an improvement in the situation; we have seen it worsening. We know this will be an increasing problem in the ACT.
I again implore the minister and the government as they bring in all the regulation and the red tape that they know increase the costs to give some thought to the parents who are struggling to put their kids into child care and the imposition they bear of the massive costs of child care in this jurisdiction. Have some sympathy for them. Unless the government starts to address the imbalance in regulation they have imposed on childcare centres, I fear the situation will get worse, not better.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Disability, Children and Young People, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Women, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Racing and Gaming) (4.33): I am glad to see that the Canberra Liberals are actually looking at this topic and the cost of child care. Up until now, you have been missing in action in this place. Yes, you have asked questions, but you started something there about what can be done. I did not hear anything from you about what can be done, so you remain policy absent.
Mr Hanson: Point of order, Mr Assistant Speaker.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Gentleman): Mr Hanson, a point of order.
Mr Hanson: My point of order relates to standing order 42. Throughout the debate this morning, the minister was warned—well, not warned, but advised repeatedly—to address the chair, not members of the opposition.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, I will just hold you for a moment. Clerk, would you stop the clock.
Mr Hanson: It makes it difficult for members on this side not to interject if the minister continually ignores standing order 42. If you want to have a barney across the chamber, let us bring it on. It would be helpful if the minister were to occasionally address the chair rather than those opposite.
MS BURCH: I will address all my comments through you, Mr Assistant Speaker.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Thank you, Minister Burch. If you could.
MS BURCH: Through you, Mr Assistant Speaker, I again go back to the fact that there was a heading there of what can be done and there was nothing there. Mr Assistant Speaker, the Canberra Liberals have been policy absent on this area for some time. There have been lots of questions, finger-pointing and all the hoo-ha-ha, but they have not come up with a single solitary contribution on how we manage this. It is absolutely right: childcare costs are important matters for Canberra families. We do have high childcare costs here in the ACT, but when we look at what we can do about that, we recognise the concerns for young families and we do all we can about what we can do for the cost of child care.
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