ABBOTT AXE HITS CHILDCARE.

Media Release.

Kate Ellis MP.
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood

24 Nov 2013 

With the Abbott Government freezing the $300 million Early Years Quality Fund, they are left with no justification to pursue $100 million in cuts by freezing indexation of the Child Care Rebate.

This week the Abbott Government introduced legislation to stop the indexation of the child care rebate.

Remarkably, Tony Abbott wrote to every child care centre in the country during the 2013 election campaign to point out that the impact of freezing the cap on child care rebate is "increasing out-of-pocket costs for parents."

In 2010 Sussan Ley told the Parliament that removing indexation would "further increase the financial pressure on Australian families who are already struggling to meet the costs of child care."

Shadow Minister for Early Childhood, Kate Ellis, has criticised the move saying "If the Government aren't going to use the $300 million put aside for child care wages, how can they possibly justify slashing another $100 million out of child care and out of the pockets of hard working Australian families?"

"It is easy to announce grand reviews but this Government has shown in record time what their true intentions for Australian child care - to cut funding and then cut some more."

"This move shows that not only are they hypocrites but they are not the Government that they said they'd be."
"When it comes to child care Tony Abbott takes with one hand, and then takes again with the other," Ms Ellis said.

This is an appalling and unjustified attack on the child care budget and indicates that the Abbott Government will set a record by making two cuts to the child care budget in just two weeks.

The Government must immediately confirm their intention to proceed with the EYQF or they should immediately abandon plans to swipe this $100 million from the pockets of hard working Australian families.

SUNDAY, 24 NOVEMBER 2013