Julia fails to understand what mums and dads want

12-November-2008

Once again in Question Time today, the Deputy Prime Minister, continued to show her complete lack of understanding for the crisis facing thousands of parents and children embroiled in the ABC Learning collapse, Sophie Mirabella, Shadow Minister for Childhood Education, Childcare, Women and Youth said today.

While Ms Gillard attempted to make light of the ABC Learning situation today, she failed to answer:

• What are the details of the Government’s contingency plan foreshadowed in Senate Estimates last month?
• Having run the NSW economy into the ground, will the Minister condemn the NSW Government’s $1100 slug on every childcare centre in NSW which will create a $220,000 annual bill for the 200 or so ABC Learning Centres in NSW, particularly at a time when the Rudd Government is putting up $22 million of tax payers’ money to help these childcare centres continue to operate?
• Given the Rudd Government’s claim that it was the former Government that ‘let the market rip’, what changes to the Trade Practices Act will be made to place further restrictions on the childcare industry?
• How will parents be able to organise alternative care for their children when the Government’s $22 million package to ABC expires a week after Christmas?
• Given the Parliamentary Secretary for early Childhood Education and Childcare has gone AWOL will the Government withdraw the salary she receives for this specific responsibility?

“These are the questions that Australian families want answered. Either Ms Gillard’s super portfolio prevents her from turning her mind to the real issues facing Australian parents and childcare workers or she is just incapable of understanding how this matter is affecting the day to day lives of mums, dads and kids, Mrs Mirabella said.