With no child care policy anywhere in sight in tonight’s Budget in reply speech, Bill Shorten has failed the test that he set for himself just this morning.
“Let’s tell it as it is. No government deserves to govern if they don’t have a plan for childcare…” – Bill Shorten, Speech, 5/5/16
Labor not only stands in the way of the savings needed for the Turnbull Government’s more than $3 billion child care reforms, but offers no alternative policy to ours.
Our plan will make child care more affordable, accessible and fairer, building on our achievements to date.
The Coalition has reduced fee increases to around 3.6 per cent per year compared to child care fees which grew at an average of 7.8 per cent per year during Labor’s time in government and spiked up to 12.5 per cent in 2009.
We have a detailed and fully-funded child care plan. Tonight Mr Shorten offered politics and platitudes for child care, but no policy or plan.
The Coalition is the only party that can be trusted to give more children access to early childhood education and care and to support families and parents who most depend upon child care in order to work, or work more.
Mr Shorten and Labor cannot be trusted with child care, with the Productivity Commission finding their 2008 attempt at child care reform “accelerated” child care fees. The numbers speak for themselves.