Cheaper Child Care Turns One!
On Monday, 1 July, we celebrate the first anniversary of the Labor government’s Cheaper Child Care laws.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Time flies when you’re raising kids, and although the last 12 months have gone by in a blink, this coming Monday marks one year since the Labor government’s Cheaper Child Care plan became a reality.
The first birthday of Cheaper Child Care is definitely worth celebrating, because although some families haven’t felt too much of a change in their financial fortunes, due to cost of living pressures, big money has been invested in childcare for the good of many family budgets.
Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education, Dr Anne Aly, confirms that more than one million Australian families have actually benefitted from Cheaper Child Care over the last 12 months.
And although individual circumstances and childcare choices have impacted how much each family has spent on fees, many have saved a substantial amount.
Federal Minister for Education, Jason Clare, confirms that, “For a family on, say, a combined income of $120,000, they’ve been able to save more than $2,000 over the last year.”
This means, “$2,000 less on childcare bills than they otherwise would have had to pay. because of our Cheaper Child Care laws.”
Cheaper Child Care will continue to make a positive difference as we move from one financial year to the next, and there’s more good news on the way.
Mr Clare says that from 1 July 2024, a family on a combined income of $120,000 will also get a tax cut of more than $2,000.
And, of course, money isn’t the only thing that’s changed since Cheaper Child Care came into being.
Mr Clare says, “Over the last year, we’ve seen more kids in childcare, more childcare centres open, and more childcare educators in our centres, but there’s still more to do, and there’s more to come.”
Here, at KindiCare, we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds, and do applaud the Labor government’s commitment to childcare reform.
KindiCare’s CEO and Founder, Benjamin Balk says, "Early learning is an essential service for Australian families, providing both the ability for parents to actively participate in the workforce and study, as well as giving children growth and development opportunities in their critical first five years.”
He adds, “Whilst many parents have felt the impact of cost of living increases due to inflation, including for childcare fees, there is no doubt that Labor's Cheaper Child Care plan has made childcare more accessible and affordable for Australian families who would be in a worse position had this critical policy not been implemented last year."
Going forward, the government is actively exploring a path towards more accessible, affordable and high-quality childcare for all.
Our leaders recognise the absolute importance of quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) for all Australian children and families.
And while they’re celebrating Cheaper Child Care’s first birthday on Monday, they’ll also be reading the recommendations contained in the Productivity Commission’s final inquiry report around ECEC.
