MICHELLE ROWLAND MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTICULTURALISM
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
MEMBER FOR GREENWAY
THE HON AMANDA RISHWORTH MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR EDUCATION
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
MEMBER FOR KINGSTON
MEDIA RELEASE
TONY ABBOTT’S CRUEL CUTS TO FAMILY DAY CARE
Member for Greenway, Michelle Rowland today welcomed Amanda Rishworth, the Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Shadow Assistant Minister for Higher Education, to a Kellyville Ridge family day care centre to discuss their uncertain future.
Family day care is an approved form of childcare provided in the home of the family day care educator. Due to the need for flexible and easily accessible child care, family day care is the fastest growing form of early childhood education and care with 736 family day care facilities nationwide. In Greenway there are scores of privately-run family day care centres in addition to those operated by our local councils.
The Abbott Government has cut $157 million out of funding for family day care services, putting hundreds of family day care services at risk of closure and forces them to consider raising fees.
Despite the Abbott Government promising just months ago that the cuts and changes to the program would only impact new providers, they have now broken their promise with the announcement that existing providers will be forced to re-apply for funding.
Ms Rishworth said due to the Abbott Government’s huge funding cuts, family day care services will find it much harder to receive support and funding.
“Family day care is vitally important because they offer quality flexible child care options for families, but these services are now under threat because of the Abbott Government.”
“These cuts are putting hundreds of local services at risk of closure, destroying small businesses in Greenway which would lead to many families no longer having access to affordable, flexible, quality day care.
“Alternatively, because of these cuts, family day care service providers may be forced to increase their fees, putting families under more financial pressure,” Ms Rishworth said.
If local family day care providers such as Sweet Angels Family Day Care were forced to close, many families will no longer have access to affordable, flexible, quality day care.
Greenway is one of the youngest electorates in Australia and many families in the local community currently rely on family day care centres.
“Family day care, like the services provided by the Sweet Angels Family Day Care here today, is an exceedingly popular childcare option as it provides the flexibility and accessibility that many commercial childcare centres don’t,” Ms Rowland said.
“These cuts by the Abbott Government are cruel and will have an enormous impact on working families who rely on the fantastic services that family day care provides.
“Labor will fight Tony Abbot’s cruel cuts and we will stand up for families,” Ms Rowland said.
Ms Rowland also launched a petition against Tony Abbott’s cruel cuts and urges all members of the community to sign it: https://michellerowlandmp.wufoo.eu/forms/save-family-day-care/
TUESDAY, 5 AUGUST 2014
