Every child will be able to attend childcare for at least three days a week as the federal government pushes Australia towards universal early childhood education.
Australian families earning less than $530,000 a year will be guaranteed access to the government’s child care subsidy for three days a week, if Labor wins re-election.
The Three Day Guarantee policy would replace the activity test, which requires parents to work to access the subsidies.
Labor’s childcare policy would push Australia towards a universal childcare system. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)
The activity test burdens parents and locks their children out of early education, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
“Parents do not need to work a certain number of hours a week to want the best possible education for their child,” he will say in an speech at the Building Early Education for Australia’s Future event in Brisbane on Wednesday.
“We know early education is an opportunity every child deserves.
“Three days of early education: affordable for every family, funded for every child, building a better education system every step of the way.”
The announcement follows a September Productivity Commission report, which found children from vulnerable or disadvantaged communities would benefit most from early childhood education but were also the least likely to attend.
A universal childcare system would ensure every child aged up to five has access to high-quality early childhood education and care for at least 30 hours or three days a week, for 48 weeks of the year.
The most cost-effective way to achieve this and boost attendance among low and middle income families was to scrap the activity test and expand childcare funding for families with incomes up to $80,000 and households earning less than $140,000 that have multiple children under five, the report found.
Universal early childhood education and care can support women in the workforce, reduce developmental vulnerabilities and transform lives, associate commissioner and report co-author Deborah Brennan says.
The government will announce its childcare policy shift in Brisbane. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)
Investing in children as early as possible is also believed to offer significant economic boons with Nobel-winning economist James Heckman arguing that putting money into disadvantaged children from birth to aged five will provide the highest rate of return.
This is because early education can help build cognitive and character skills that are necessary for success later in life and can turn people into productive citizens.
The federal government has also raised the wages of childcare and early education workers and funded training for educators to strengthen the sector’s sustainability.
Parents will not be forced to send their children into care if they do not want to, the prime minister will say.
“Universal and accessible doesn’t mean compulsory or mandatory,” Mr Albanese said.
“We want to make sure that your decision isn’t dictated by where you live, or what you do for a living.
“It’s driven by one thing only: what you want for your child.”
The announcement will be made from the electorate of Griffith, where Labor hopes to beat out Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather and take back the seat.