The Senate Select Committee on Red Tape has released its Interim Report on Australia’s early childhood education and care system. In essence, all Senators agree that it is a world class,
gold plated Rolls Royce system, but are divided as to how to continue with it.
“We appreciate that effectively all Senators too have come to the same conclusion as we have – that all Australian families want only the very best for our children. But in order for it to be affordable to all families and all taxpayers, to enable all service providers to be operationally sustainable and to be able to keep our educators in a job, we and the Senators ask how do we pay for all of this?” asks Mrs Lyn Connolly, President of the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW.
Labor Senators have since pledged to maintain staff ratios, restore the $20 million recurrent funding for the National Quality Framework and commit to funding the national preschool program for four year-olds beyond 2019. Coalition Senators have noted areas for efficiency improvements, as well as poorly designed regulatory burdens that cause reduced access and increased prices without necessarily improving the quality of childcare provided.
“ACA NSW is very pleased that there appears to be an appreciation by Senators across the spectrum that the current system is not working as well as it should. The next step is for all governments to have the courage to re-examine how we can realise our highest national aspirations and educational outcomes for all Australian children while at the same time achieving affordability for families, operational viability for services and keep our educators in a job,” said Mrs Connolly.
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