Over Regulated and Over It? - CareforKids.com.au®

Over Regulated & Over It?
Child care once again finds itself in the middle of party politics

Just when we thought things had settled down and were looking up for working families and addressing the skills shortage, one of the benefits that makes the most difference to the average working family, the Child Care Rebate, recently looked like it was on shaky ground.

Treasurer Wayne Swan has reportedly said that the child care rebate will not be targeted as a cost saving for the upcoming budget though Minister for Child Care and Early Education, Kate Ellis has not officially ruled it out.

Sussan Ley, the coalition's childcare spokeswoman, welcomed the move describing the proposal to cut the rebate as a "ham-fisted cash grab" and said "I hope the thousands of parents upset by these scare tactics can sleep a little easier". Read more here.

Child care industry issues at the moment are enough to make any working parent's head spin. The new Quality assurance regulations have been called into question with rumours of child care workers threatening to leave the industry in droves with the new regulations making their work impossible; increased fees are very much a reality with the new regulations meaning increasing numbers of staff are required with more qualifications (which should be a positive thing) but in the same breath there were calls for very large fines (more than the average child care worker's wage) to be administered (in a non-aggressive or exclusive way of course) to any child care worker putting children in the naughty corner.

According to Ms Ley "last week, it was outlandish fines for centre operators who put children into time-out, on top of other draconian penalties for dubious new industry benchmarks".
"Under Kate Ellis, we now have an industry completely split by her new quality assurance changes, staff pushing for wage rises or leaving the industry and parents without a clue on what their childcare costs will be into the future."

"It is completely laughable that a Minister who backs the idea of more women in the workforce is systematically sticking daggers into the primary body responsible for allowing that to happen', Ms Ley said.

In our recent annual child care and workforce participation survey 82 per cent of parents claiming the rebate said it made a significant impact on the affordability of working.

Of the working mums polled 24 per cent said that working already simply isn't financially viable, but they have no choice if they are to maintain their career and place in the workforce. So if the rebate becomes means tested, we may see this figure rising dramatically, pushing more mothers to reconsider being in the workforce at all.

We'd like to know…

If the rebate was means tested so that any families with a joint income of over $150,000 will not receive the rebate how many of you will this affect and if you fall short of the rebate, how will this affect your position as a working mum?

Click here to take the mini poll and let us know how the means test would affect you and what you think about the naughty corner. You will be entered into a draw for one of 10 Ere Perez Natural Carrot Balms for Cheeks and Lips – These gorgeous little balms are multipurpose to use as brighteners, blushers and lip balms. Waterproof and perfect for your handbag, gym bag or beach bag. Click here for details.