COVID-19: No response over CHO's comments

Following yesterday's comments from Dr Kerry Chant, NSW Chief Health Officer, the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW has regrettably not received any clarification from NSW Health, the NSW Department of Education nor the Office of the NSW Premier.

And at the time of writing this article, the NSW Public Health Orders remain unchanged. All parents and guardians are still permitted across Greater Sydney and Regional NSW to drop-off and pick-up their child/ren from ECEC services (see Item 3 of Schedule 1 – Reasonable Excuses of the latest NSW Public Health Order and written clarification from the NSW Department of Education based on NSW Health advice).

While there is understandable public concerns about the risks of COVID to young children especially with the Delta variant, the NSW Government's own weekly surveillance reports show young children in early childhood education and care environments to be far safer than older school children (where schools are largely closed) and those 50-80+ years old (who have far easier access to COVID vaccinations).

ACA NSW has issued a media release expressing both parents' and ECEC service providers' anger, confusion and frustration over governments' messages and support.

And as NSW anticipates longer lockdowns and/or restrictions beyond 28 August 2021, ACA NSW is publicly saying that the current set of government assistance are inadequate or render negatively affected ECEC services to be ineligible. This creates lose-lose outcomes for children, families, educators, teachers and service providers.

As previously published, the real and dire risks facing NSW's ECEC services include:

• the continuing declines in children’s attendances;
• the increasing number of terminations of enrolments;
• the limited suitability of the optional waiver of the gap fees;
• the risk of Child Care Subsidies being automatically retrieved from ECEC services because of the children’s absence on their last day or after 14 weeks of non-attendances;
• services that receive low Child Care Subsidies (especially those toward 20% of fees or hourly rate cap);
• labour ramifications of reaching the 30% or more decline in turnover threshold;
• resulting ineligibility of services to receive JobSaver;
• inadequate legal protections if using the Stand Down provisions of the Fair Work Act; and
• impending reduced capacities or even closure of services post lockdown.

ACA NSW welcomes ECEC services' feedback on their children's attendances, absences, terminations, use of government supports, and staffing via its survey of Weeks 6, 7 and 8 of the lockdown.

Should members need any further information/clarification, please contact the ACA NSW team on 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au. 

PUBLISHED: 19 AUGUST 2021