Childcare is one of the many public policy issues of concern raised by ABN members. It’s hard to access, hard to afford for many working parents and quality is a concern.
Ratios of carers to children are generally not optimal; many forms of care, such as family day care, are not audited as frequently or carefully as they should be; and both parties are avoiding introducing serious tax incentives to assist with the financial burden of care.
While the government has introduced a maternity payment to help women who choose not to go back to work, so far, neither party has offered paid leave during this election.
In short, Australia is suffering a childcare crisis and no-one is providing the leadership needed to resolve it.
What have been your experiences with childcare? How would you like to see the government address this situation?
