Affordable childcare the focus of Wilton visit by Social Services Minister Scott Morrison
Affordable childcare was the focus of a Wilton preschool tour on Friday (13 March) by Social Services Minister and Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor.
Visiting Bingara Gorge Community Preschool to mark its first year of operation, Minister Morrison said Wilton families, as with all families of young children, needed reassurance about childcare costs to plan their family budget.
“The Government's new families’ package, to be released in coming months, will begin with a new set of support arrangements for child care,” Mr Morrison said.
“The Productivity Commission report into childcare has found that many families, probably many here at Bingara Gorge, see the system as difficult to navigate and outdated. There’s a growing consensus that childcare assistance has to be simpler and better targeted, to help families stay in work and get back into work when they have children. I thank the hard working staff here for a first-hand look at this terrific preschool today.”
Member for Hume Angus Taylor said childcare was one of the biggest issues for newly established communities such as Bingara Gorge.
“Many families in the area have two working parents and most of them work some distance from home. It’s critical that they have access to affordable, flexible child care. Big Fat Smile, offers a fantastic service for Bingara Gorge, but we’re conscious that government policy needs to support similar flexible options into the future.”
Mr Taylor said childcare policy was at a fork in the road, as the Federal Government considered the Productivity Commission review in the lead up to the next Federal Budget.
“We want to provide parents with the choice to stay in work. It is in the interests of the government and the wider community that we have high participation in the workplace, and that includes parents of young children. We will be doing all we can to encourage that.”
Caption: Cutting the cake for Bingara Gorge Community Preschool’s 1st Birthday with (from left to right) Jai Rowell MP, Member for Wollondilly, The Hon Scott Morrison MP, Minister for Social Services, Angus Taylor MP, Member for Hume, Bill Feld, Chief Executive of the Big Fat Smile group (which operates the preschool), and Jade Organ, Centre Director.
