’Families are $2768 better off’: PM shifts focus to childcare after poll plunge

Anthony Albanese will shift his focus to Labor’s universal childcare vision amid plummeting support for his government, releasing data claiming families are $2768 better off on childcare.

West Australian Labor Premier Roger Cook and Anthony Albanese at the Kwinana Bulk Terminal in WA. Picture: NewsWire / Sharon Smith

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Anthony Albanese will shift his pre-election focus to Labor’s universal childcare vision amid plummeting support for his government, releasing new data that says families have saved up to $2768 on childcare since 2023.

The Prime Minister, who along with Peter Dutton campaigned in the battleground election state of Western Australia on Monday, said the Albanese government was “providing immediate cost-of-living relief for families and educators now”.

Department of Education data says a “family on an income of $120,000 a year paying an ­ average quarterly fee for 30 hours’ childcare per week” had saved about $2768 since Labor’s childcare subsidies model came into effect.

New Jobs and Skills Australia figures show early education and care sector workforce vacancy rates have fallen 22 per cent since December 2023. Australia’s biggest childcare operator Goodstart says job applications and expressions of interest have increased up to 35 and 60 per cent.

In December, Mr Albanese announced a second-term Labor government would establish a $1bn Building Early Education Fund from July 2025 and guarantee at least three days of childcare for all to underpin his long-term universal childcare plan.

Ahead of the election, due by May 17, he will ramp up his childcare sell and spruik Labor’s commitments to fund a 15 per cent wage increase for childcare workers and support pay rises for up to 200,000 workers through the retention payment scheme.

The childcare pivot comes after Newspoll revealed that the Coalition was leading Labor 51-49 per cent on two-party-­preferred vote and 39-31 per cent on primary vote. Mr Albanese’s performance rating fell again, with 37 per cent of voters satisfied with the Labor leader and 57 per cent not.

Asked whether Labor could form a government with a 31 per cent primary vote, Mr Albanese said: “We hold 78 seats … we will be campaigning to form a majority Labor government and I believe we will be in a position to do so.”

“We’ll be fighting each and every day to make clear what this election is about. There’ll be polls, and the commentators will commentate on them. I don’t take election wins for granted,” he said.

The Opposition Leader said there was clear “momentum … for change in our country because people are hurting”. He said he was “happy with where we are, I think we’ve been a disciplined opposition which has allowed us to look like an alternative government”.

“We’ve come up with some fresh ideas and we’ve put the pressure on what I think has been a bad government. It’s not just the usual task of being in opposition and critiquing the government; we’ve also taken a very positive approach,” he said.

“If there’s a minority government with the Greens (and Labor), it’ll be a disaster.”

Amid ongoing speculation that Mr Albanese could head to the polls early, Jim Chalmers on Monday said he was working towards the scheduled March 25 pre-election budget.

The Treasurer said the budget would continue his theme of “responsible economic management” and his focus was on “rolling out the cost-of-living help we’ve already announced and already budgeted for”.

“We don’t obsess over polls. Obviously, we notice the polls when they’re released. They don’t always say the same thing. What really matters is the choice people will have on election day.

“These polls, from time to time I think, reflect the very real and very genuine pressure that people feel. And the choice that people will make is between a government which doesn’t just acknowledge that pressure, but is doing something about it.”