Federal Government grants to provide more child care places

Media Release.

The Australian Government will provide an extra $5 million to help local government deliver more child care places for communities facing the greatest shortages.

Early Childhood and Child Care Minister Kate Ellis said the $5 million Child Care Accessibility Fund will offer grants of up to $250,000.

"The funding will be used to expand centres, cut planning and development red tape, free up vacant land for child care centres, or incorporate child care into schools and TAFEs," Ms Ellis said.

"Many families are telling us that the shortage of child care places is their number one concern and this new investment will help families get the child care they need and reduce waiting lists."

"This is another example of how the Federal Government is improving access to child care for Australian families and builds on our already strong record."

"We invite councils whose communities face a lack of child care places to apply for funding and I look forward to seeing some great ideas to improve child care options in their area."

The Fund is now open, with applications to be lodged by 2 August, 2013.

Joining Ms Ellis at the announcement, Member for Sydney Tanya Plibersek said she was keen to see her local councils get involved as many parts of Sydney had severe child care shortages.

She said the new fund would complement a separate package of Federal funding announced earlier this week - $150 million to be shared between all local councils and shires across Australia to help build and renew community infrastructure.

"Essential community services such as child care facilities are expected to benefit from the $150 million investment available for every local government," Ms Plibersek said.

"The Accessibility Fund will complement the community infrastructure funding because it will help councils unlock the system and develop comprehensive child care plans before construction."

The onus will be on local governments to demonstrate how they will increase child care places, but possible examples of measures that could be taken include local governments that:

• Partner with businesses or community organisations to build new child care centres.

• Extend or modify new or existing centres, to provide more child care places.

• Remove child care planning and development red tape.

• Streamline approval processes.

• Extend child care opening hours.

• Collaborate with State Governments to free up Crown land or better access under-utilised capacity   at existing sites (e.g. schools).

Ms Ellis said the Fund also followed the recent announcement of $220,000 to develop best practice guidelines for state, territory and local government child care planning and development.

"This project will identify what works at the state and local government planning level to help increase places and share best practice examples around the country," she said.

"We understand that affordable child care is essential in helping parents, especially mums, to re-enter the workforce."

"That's why we increased the Child Care Rebate from 30 to 50 per cent of out of pocket costs, and why we increased the cap from $4,354 to $7500 per child per year."

"Under this Government, the number of children in child care at any one time has grown to one million an increase of nearly 30 per cent since 2007 and these children are now receiving better quality child care through the National Quality Framework."

Further information on the Child Care Accessibility Fund and the Best Practice Guidelines is available at: http://deewr.gov.au/child-care-accessibility-fund

Kate Ellis MP.
Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare.