Childcare policy out of date
The Abbott Government’s childcare package is “decades out of date” and will put Australia behind other developed nations when it comes to early childhood reform, a new McKell Institute report says.
University of New South Wales researchers Deborah Brennan and Elizabeth Adamson argue the proposed childcare changes are not focused enough on children’s development and that there is no “policy rationale” for the government’s move to fund the $3.5 billion reforms through cuts to paid parental leave and family tax benefits.
The report, Baby Steps or Giant Strides, says the new childcare package is also disappointing because of its emphasis on getting parents into work without addressing “serious shortage” of places for babies and toddlers, attendance rates for early childhood education or staff shortages. (Source: SMH)