$10 Per Day Childcare

Finance
 20 Nov 2023

Thrive by Five is campaigning to have childcare costs capped at $10 per day for three days a week!    

BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

The introduction of Cheaper Child Care back in July hasn’t slashed childcare costs for all families, but a new proposal by The Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaign does promise to make a big difference for everybody.  

Thrive by Five is calling on the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments to pass legislation that will create a ‘high-quality, universally accessible early childhood development system in Australia.’ 

They want to simplify every family’s access to early childhood education and care, and offer three days of childcare per week at minimal cost. 

This is promising news for us parents, and there’s a push to cap childcare fees at just $10 for those days. 

Jay Wetherill, former South Australian Premier and campaign leader says, “Every Australian parent should not pay more than $10 a day for three days a week of quality early childhood education and care.”  

As well as helping families’ budgets, he says a $10 per day childcare guarantee would support children’s development, and also support increased workforce participation and economic growth.  

We can look to Canada to see what a $10 a day childcare model offers, and in Australia, there’s a definite need for quality care at minimal cost.  

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has found that, ‘Childcare in Australia is less affordable compared to most other OECD countries,’ and average-earners with two children were spending 16% of their net household income on childcare in 2022. 

Changes to the Child Care Subsidy from July 2023 promised cheaper childcare, but still, many families find their childcare fees a challenge.  

A survey by The Parenthood in October 2023 has found that only three in 10 parents who use centre-based care say childcare costs are easily manageable.  

And the survey confirmed that cost is a barrier to workforce participation, with six in 10 parents saying they, or their partner, would work different hours if childcare wasn’t so pricey.  

As well as pushing for high quality, low cost childcare for all families, Thrive by Five is also calling for a united approach on other measures. 

They would like to see early learning reform that provides: 

  • Universal and consistent access to two years of preschool in the years before school  
  • More generous paid parental leave with better flexibility, and 
  • Universal and free access to maternal and child health care.  


They’re proposing the establishment of a joint statutory body (like a Commission) between the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments to deliver all the family-friendly measures, and are suggesting a ‘phased approach’ to implement the changes over a period of 10 years.
 

You can read the detail here, and if Thrive for Five’s legislative proposal does become law, we can look forward to a simpler, more accessible childcare system with that very attractive ‘$10 per day’ price tag.  

Stay tuned!