In news which will come as a great relief to families struggling with the cost of child care, nannies will be eligible for subsidies under a new program announced by the government this week.
The $246 million two year pilot program will support families with parents / carers who are working, studying or looking for work, who struggle to access mainstream care.
Social Services Minister Mr Scott Morrison says this announcement is the first element of the government's new child care package.
"The Home Based Carer Subsidy Programme represents the first major tranche of the Abbott Government's new child care package and will provide subsidised care for about 10,000 children, especially in middle to low income families," said Mr Morrison.
Mr Morrison says the initiative aims to address the child care challenges faced by families who work non-standard hours or who have specific needs which aren't being met by the current child care system.
"Key workers such as nurses, police officers, ambulance officers and firefighters, as well as other shift workers, are too often unable to access child care and take advantage of government support because of the nature and hours of their work.
"The same is often true for families in rural and regional areas and those who have children with special needs, for whom mainstream child care services are often inaccessible, lack the necessary flexibility or do not cater for their specific needs.
It won't however, be a nanny free-for-all. Mr Morrison says the pilot program will proceed with a highly targeted approach to avoid potential abuse.
"While acknowledging the importance of levelling the playing field for families needing more flexible child care services, the government will be proceeding carefully with subsidising nannies to avoid any unintended consequences.
"Nannies are not meant to replace mainstream child care services but we want families to be able to choose the care type that suits them best, including using nannies in addition to other forms of child care," said Mr Morrison.
The government will work with employer groups to develop the programme which will be delivered as an hourly subsidy to be paid per child towards the cost of using a nanny. The subsidy, which will commence in January 2016, will be paid directly to the nanny and will be means tested according to family income.
To be eligible for subsidy, nannies will be required to be attached to an approved service, they must be 18 or older and have a current Working with Children Check and first aid qualification but will not be required to hold a minimum early childhood qualification. However, unlike child care centres, they will not be subject to the National Quality Framework.
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