“Tullamarine, Westmeadows, Gladstone Park and Attwood are among the worst affected suburbs in Melbourne when it comes to acute childcare shortages” Ms Vamvakinou said.
“Childcare centres in these suburbs are full and some are reporting waiting lists in excess of 6 months. Parents are being forced to look elsewhere to access childcare places for their children” Ms Vamvakinou said.
"This puts enormous pressure on working parents, especially those who have to travel long distances each morning to drop their kids off at childcare before work."
"In childcare centres where there are still some places available, usually they are only for a certain age group. A childcare centre that only has available places for 4 year olds is not going to be much help to a parent with a two year old. Places for young children up to three years old are in especially short supply" Ms Vamvakinou said.
“The Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Mr Mal Brough, continues to deny that there is a childcare crisis in Australia, but even the government’s own figures show that Calwell is suffering from an acute shortage of childcare services, and that the situation is only getting worse” Ms Vamvakinou said.
“To pretend that there is no childcare crisis in Australia shows just how out of touch the Howard government is when it comes to understanding the needs of working families in Australia” Ms Vamvakinou said.
"Working parents are struggling to find places for their children in childcare centres located close to where they live, and they face childcare expenses that have more than doubled in the last 10 years."
"In many families, both parents have to work to be able to afford the costs associated with raising a family today. In such cases, access to affordable and conveniently located childcare services becomes all the more important" Ms Vamvakinou said.
“Parents want quality childcare services for their children. They want these services to be close to where they live so that they don’t have to battle early morning traffic. And they want childcare to be affordable” Ms Vamvakinou said.
“At a cost of $200 million, Labor will build 260 new childcare centres in areas of need such as Calwell, and where possible, these centres will be built on primary school sites in order to make life easier for parents when dropping their kids off in the morning.”
“Labor will also work with local governments to develop a single waiting list for childcare places in each local government area. One phone call and one waiting list will save parents time.”
“And Labor’s Early Childhood Education Plan will ensure that all 4 year olds in Australia have access to 15 hours of pre-school early learning per week, for a minimum of 40 weeks per year, supervised by a qualified teacher” Ms Vamvakinou said.
Additional Information:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that since December 2001, childcare costs for Australian families have increased by 82.5%. This increase is double that experienced in fuel prices, which rose by 41.4% in the same period. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 14.8 % in same period.
- According to the Productivity Commission's 2007 Report on Government Services the average cost of child care in Victoria is $239 per week for centre based long day care.
- ABS inflation data shows that the cost of childcare in Melbourne has risen by 126% over the last 10 years, which is more than any other capital city in Australia.
- According to a childcare affordability index released in February 2007 by The Taskforce on Care Costs, childcare costs are increasing much faster than household disposable income is. Figures show that since 2001, childcare affordability has dropped by over 50%. In addition, 1 in 4 Australian carers have already reduced their hours of work because of the high cost of childcare, and 28% are likely to leave the workforce in the future for the same reason.
- In a 2006 survey of 1000 Australians, The Taskforce on Care Costs also found that 17-26% of workers who pay for childcare do so by paying cash to family members, friends or unregistered carers.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics Consumer Price Index figures show that childcare costs have more than doubled in Australia since 1996 when John Howard became Prime Minister.
Labors' Early Childhood Education Plan:
- All 4 year olds in Australia will have access to 15 hours of quality preschool or early learning each week for a minimum of 40 weeks per year, delivered by a qualified teacher. - An extra 1,500 new university places will be funded in early childhood education - TAFE fees for child care trainees will be abolished. - HECS repayments for early childhood graduates working in areas of need will be halved.
Contact: Alex Kouttab
