South Australian families to miss out on $90 million worth of extra childcare support, Greens claim
SOUTH Australian families will miss out on almost $90 million in extra childcare support because of a delay in reforms designed to make care more affordable.
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SOUTH Australian families will miss out on almost $90 million in extra childcare support because of a delay in reforms designed to make care more affordable.
The Federal Government is delaying the introduction of a new childcare support system until mid-2018, after failing to win Senate support for cuts to family tax benefits it said was needed to fund the changes.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young on Thursday said the delay meant more than 57,000 families currently receiving care would miss out on an average $30 increase in weekly childcare support.
Senator Hanson-Young said she was concerned that if the Government was re-elected it would never introduce the reforms needed to boost support for childcare.
“I think it’s a cost-saving measure for their budget more than anything else,’’ she said.
“If you think about people who voted for them in 2013 because of childcare — their kids will soon be in school.’’
Education Minister Simon Birmingham said Labor and the Greens were responsible for childcare reforms being delayed.
“We’ve made tough decisions to find the savings to pay for our child care policy but at every turn Labor and the Greens stood in the way of the savings needed to pay for a policy that would put downward pressure on prices and provide more accessible, affordable and fairer child care for families,’’ Senator Birmingham said.
Labor has criticised the Government’s package because it would leave some families worse off.
Senator Hanson-Young said changes were needed to the Government’s plan but essential reforms should not be delayed.
Originally published as South Australian families to miss out on $90 million worth of extra childcare support, Greens claim
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