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| Productivity Commission Inquiry | |||||
| by The Hon Sussan Ley MP Assistant Minister for Education |
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 You don't need to look at the statistics to know the Australian child care and early learning sector has grown significantly over the last decade, as have family needs and requirements for their children's care and development.All families deserve quality child care and early learning at a price they can afford, and more flexible services available when they need them. We need a child care and early learning system for the 21st century. As the Coalition's spokesperson for child care and early learning during the last three years and now Assistant Minister for Education, I have been fortunate to visit over 200 services noting firsthand the positive impact quality child care and early learning has on the lives of our children. Among the new Government's first priorities was to announce a Productivity Commission Inquiry into how child care can be made more flexible, affordable and accessible, so that we can make the best decisions about the future of the sector. This Inquiry was formally commenced in mid-November following the first week of the 44th Parliament. The Inquiry will be broad ranging and focus on the current and future needs of parents and children accessing child care and early learning services. This will include the different types of care available, the needs of rural, regional and remote families, shift workers, the needs of vulnerable children and how future government assistance should be provided. I see this exploration of child care into tomorrow as a once in a generation opportunity and encourage you to participate in the process, putting forward any views and ideas on what the future of child care and early learning could look like. If this interests you, please find details via my website or www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/childcare The Commission will report back in 12 months. It is important that we don't make piecemeal policy changes in the meantime, especially if the review finds the system itself is in need of a major overhaul. So we'll be taking a deliberate and measured approach in considering issues that face the child care and early learning sector. It is important we get these policies right so we get the best outcomes for children to assist their learning and development and allow parents and families to pursue employment opportunities. I am confident the outcomes from the Productivity Commission will put the Government in a good position to make the best decisions for the future. Another topical theme when meeting our educators is the impact of the former government's National Quality Framework (NQF). Our government is committed to a review of the NQF, including some of its legislative requirements and operational guidelines. We are not interested in winding back any of the quality reforms, rather our focus will be about removing any unnecessary red tape so that services can spend less time doing paperwork and more time with their children. With over a million children attending child care and early learning services, the sector is too important for a productive and prosperous society, so we certainly don't want child care and early learning services and places closing because of burdensome rules and input costs. To find out what is working well and what needs to be improved, I have already met with state and territory ministers and will continue to work closely with each, as well as the sector, to find practical ways to improve the NQF's implementation. Hailing from country Australia myself, I am passionate about specific issues affecting families in rural and regional areas. In this regard, I was pleased the new Government quickly re-committed $12.6 million funding for Occasional Care, which is particularly needed in our more isolated communities and towns. This will be done in partnership with the states and territories, with the Australian Government contributing 55 per cent of the funding, in place from 1 July 2014. The child care and early learning system is vital. When you consider that almost every child in Australia will attend some form of child care or early learning service before they enter school, we need to get it right. Our government is committed to achieving just that. As always, I welcome your thoughts which you are welcome to put forward at any time. The Hon Sussan Ley MP Assistant Minister for Education www.sussanley.com |
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