PORTFOLIO
Labor's Broken Promises
Failure to outline Cost of the National Quality Framework
The Rudd Government was elected on the promise that it would make childcare more affordable and improve the quality of childcare.
Now the Chair of its own Expert Advisory Panel, Professor Alison Elliott, has admitted that “quality childcare is expensive and someone must pay”. The proposed staff to child ratios that the Government’s Expert Panel has recommended will potentially add hundreds of dollars to the cost of caring for a child.
The Rudd Government’s policies will NOT reduce childcare costs and in fact it is likely that parents will be the ones who have to pay for increased standards, larger staff/child ratios and higher qualified staff. Professor Elliott said, “Ít obviously will become more expensive if you change the ratios.” (The Australian, 27/3/09, pp. 1)
The Rudd Government intends to introduce the new National Quality Framework on 1 July 2009 – but there has been no explanation of who will pay.
Broken Election promise on Universal Access to Preschool
Labor’s Plan for Early Childhood states:
“Federal Labor will ensure all four year olds have access to early learning. All four year olds will be eligible to receive 15 hours of Government-funded early learning programs per week, for a minimum of 40 weeks a year.”
On the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations website, the Fact sheet on Universal access to early Childhood Education states:
Does universal access mean that early childhood education is free?
Answer: No. The Australian and state and territory governments have committed to work together to reduce cost as a barrier to accessing quality early childhood education. It will be up to state and territories and providers to determine what cost, if any, will be passed on to parents for 15 hours of early childhood education. Many states and territories already provide free or very low cost early childhood education.
The Rudd Government must explain how people on very low incomes will be able to afford access to preschool services if they are not free or very low cost – as implied by the term “universal access” and “government funded”.
Failure to deliver on promise to Build 260 new childcare centres
Labor’s Plan for Early Childhood promised to,
“Make childcare more accessible by establishing 260 new long day care centres on school, TAFE, university and community sites.”
After 18 months, the Government has budgeted, at a cost of $114.5 million, for 38 centres. Of those 38 only 5 or 6 are at any type of planning stage - not one has yet been completed.
The Rudd Government must answer – who is going to pay for the other 222? Where will they be built? How much will they cost? Will they contribute to the problem of over-supply? Exactly when will the promise be delivered in full?
Unwillingness to release Vacancy Data
The collapse of ABC Learning has raised all sorts of demand and supply issues within the childcare industry. The Government’s foray into building childcare centres has the potential to impact significantly on the future of the industry and must be examined very carefully at this time. The main requirement of the industry now is to have some idea where demand hotspots and chronic undersupply is actually located. The Government has refused to release the childcare vacancy data which was last released publicly under the Howard Government in April 2007.
Failure to Deliver A Paid Parental Leave scheme
The Productivity Commission presented its report into a Paid parental Leave Scheme was presented to the Government on 2 March 2009 however to date it has not been made public. There is a great deal of speculation now that due to the worsening budgetary situation the Government’s commitment to such a scheme will be not be fulfilled.
The cost implications for small business from the Productivity Commission’s Draft report into a paid parental leave scheme could devastate the small businesses that make up the majority of childcare operators. With 80% of childcare workers of child bearing age there is no way that childcare operators could bear the costs of administering the system and providing superannuation.
The Government must come clean and explain who form of paid paternity leave it will actually implement, who will pay for it, what impact will it have on small business and employment prospects for women of childbearing age?
National Plan to reduce Violence Against Women and Children
The Government promised during the election to develop and implement this plan. The Council, appointed by the Government in May 2008 was due to report back to the government by the end of 2008. When that did not occur it was then due to report early in the New Year. The Minister, Tanya Plibersek announced on 19 March that the report of the Council, Time for Action, had been presented to the Government and that they would consider it before releasing it publicly. To date, the report has not been released.
This would appear to be another case of sending a vitally important issue to “a Committee” but not actually allocating the resources to implement the committee’s recommendations.
Broken Promise - Higher Education Amenities Fee
“I am not considering a HECS style arrangement, I’m not considering a compulsory HECS style arrangement and the whole basis of the approach is one of a voluntary approach. So I am not contemplating a compulsory amenities fee” – Stephen Smith, Shadow Minister for Education, Doorstop, May, 2007.
On 11 February 2009, the Minister for Youth and Sport introduced the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities and Other Measures) Bill 2009. The bill will impose a $250 annual fee on all University students, whether they are full time, part time, studying on campus or external. That equates to an annual $250 million tax bill for students which the Labor Party in Opposition said it had no intention of doing.
Labor’s Commisioner for Children and Young People
Labor promised but has so far failed to create the Office for Children and Young People and the Commissioner who was supposed to lead this body.