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 Is childcare or early learning unaffordable or inaccessible for your family?
Do you know anyone who has left the workforce after having kids because “after the cost of childcare it wasn't worthwhile to continue to work”? Or because they couldn’t find affordable quality care?
The cost of quality childcare – home care, day care, after school care and vacation care – is a key issue for Australia’s working families and for working women in particular.
And of course it's a big issue for our kids.
Please sign our online petition here - and share this site with all your friends and colleagues. And you can follow us on facebook and twitter for updates on this critical issue for families and employers.
BREAKING NEWS: We have just begun a new survey to understand your CURRENT VIEWS on Parenting and Work: what really counts when it comes to childcare, paid parental leave, early learning and more. Click here to tell the pollies what you really matters to our communities.
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To: The Hon Kate Ellis MP, Minister for Early Childhood and Child Care
The Hon Julie Collins, Minister for the Status of Women
The Hon Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Families and Community Services
Dear Ministers
The cost and availability of childcare and early learning is a big issue for Australian families and is having a
serious, enduring and cumulative impact on family budgets, the careers of Australian
women and the development and wellbeing of our children.
I’m asking
you to:
- expand existing childcare rebates and support to include not only day care centres but also in-home care and out-of-school hours care, providing greater support and choice for Australian families
- increase the level of childcare support by Governments, recognising the real cost of care has risen significantly and needs to be addressed to give parents the financial incentive to return to work
- simplify the processes for parents to find quality childcare and receive childcare benefits, including exploration of potential benefits of tax deductibility of childcare.
This will legitimize the cost of care for working families and carers in
Australia, providing true choice to families on childcare options, and remove a significant structural barrier to full workforce participation for all Australians.
"Tax deductible childcare is a must!!!! Female participation in the workforce is declining without it. The choice between working and paying for childcare vs staying at home is less of a choice when you have to factor in the cost of childcare." - Christina
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"Many jobs require us parents to do rotating rosters and be flexible in the days we can work. Finding childcare at short notice to meet this need is impossible. Please make in-home childcare tax deductable and increase the range and variety of employment options available to working parents." - Nicole
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