No Excuse for Rudd Govt cover-up of Childcare Vacancy data

08-May-2009

With the full implementation of the Child Care Management System(CCMS), the Rudd Government now has no excuse to continue covering-up information on childcare vacancies, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Childcare Sophie Mirabella said today.

“Maxine McKew has issued a press release declaring a “new era in childcare management” with the CCCMS now fully operational. It means the Government now has all childcare providers under the one electronic system and can easily know exactly how many vacancies there are across the country.”

“The last time vacancy data was released was in April 2007- over 2 years ago - under the Howard Government. Labor must come clean and release this vacancy data on a regional and suburb-by-suburb basis so that the industry has some indication of areas of over-supply and high demand,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“The Rudd Government has been collecting this information every week in various ways but has refused to reveal it. Now that all providers are under the one streamlined electronic system they really have absolutely no excuse. They must release the vacancy data now.”

Mrs Mirabella said the recent interest in purchasing ABC Centres was evidence that the industry was willing to meet demand and provide services where they are required.

“There are organisations – both private and not-for-profit – willing to create services in areas of high demand. They just need to additional evidence on where those areas are. The industry is currently flying blind. And the problem is there are some areas where there is a huge over-supply and others where parents are desperate for more places.”

“It just defies all logic for the Government to act like a dog in the manger and keep the figures to themselves. They talk about a new era in childcare management – well, the best and most basic thing they can do is make vacancy data available to the industry so providers can plan for the future.

Mrs Mirabella said the Government needed to explain:

• Why they have continually refused to release vacancy data that is collected every week.
• Why they are pushing ahead with their plan to build an extra 260 Centres while more than 70 Centres have been forced to close in the past 4 months.
• With only 38 of the Government Centres budgeted for – who is going to pay for the other 222 and where will they be located?

“It’s time for the Government to start answering the tough questions about their failure to release vacancy data and their own plans to create a Government-funded childcare empire.”

Mrs Mirabella said the Coalition welcomed the new CCMS, which was announced and developed by the Howard Government, as it would help reduce paperwork for childcare providers and provide reliable, up-to-date data on the operation of Centres across the nation.

“The announcement that the CCMS is fully operational is good news for working families. However, it comes in the shadow of growing speculation that the Rudd Government will betray working families by making cuts to family benefits, including childcare, in the budget next week.”