Federal Member for Flinders, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, has urged families from around the electorate to take advantage of the Turnbull Government’s new child care and early learning system as we enter the final week to make the switch.
“We have seen a great number of families from around areas such as Western Port, Bass Coast, Phillip Island and the Mornington Peninsula already sign up for the new system, but there are still several that haven’t,” Minister Hunt said.
“5,000 local families will directly benefit from the Coalition’s new package and I want to see each family to receive the greatest subsidy and financial support available.”
“Our new child care package will provide the greatest hours of support to the families who work the longest hours, and the greatest subsidy and financial support to the families who earn the least.”
“It must be emphasised that this changeover is not automatic. Families must visit www.education.gov.au/childcare and make the switch as soon as they can so they’re ready for the new system from day one.”
Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the child care changes are focused on helping the families that need it most.
“The Turnbull Government’s overhaul of child care and early learning subsidies and extra $2.5 billion investment in the system will introduce hourly rate caps to put downward pressure on fee increases and abolish the annual rebate cap for most families,” Minister Birmingham said.
“Overall it will mean nearly one million families benefit and it’s estimated the package will encourage more than 230,000 families to increase their workforce participation.
Recent changes to the Consumer Price Index have also seen hourly rate caps and annual caps increase and will mean under the Turnbull Government’s child care and early learning package:
- More than 370,000 families earning around $66 958 or less a year will have their base subsidy increase from 72 per cent to 85 per cent
- Families earning $186 958 or less a year will no longer be limited by an annual $7,613 cap on the amount of child care they can access – that’s more than 85 per cent of families using child care and early learning and means families won’t run out of subsidy mid-year as happens now.
- Hourly rate caps will rise from $11.55 to $11.77 for Centre Based Day Care, $10.70 to $10.90 for Family Day Care, whilst families with children in Outside School Hours Care will also see their hourly rate cap rise from $10.10 to $10.29.
With the Turnbull Government’s child care system less than two weeks away, families can find out how to transition at: www.education.gov.au/childcare