Like others, I was shocked by the recent Four Corners investigation into childcare in Australia. We need to address affordability, accessibility, early childcare educator pay rates, and regulatory oversight, urgently.

In Canberra, childcare costs are notably high; as of 2022, the median weekly expense for 50 hours of centre-based care was $643, surpassing the national median by $78. This financial burden highlights the impact of childcare costs on the family budget.

I welcome the recent Albanese Government announcement of the Three-Day Guarantee, set to commence in January 2026. This policy provides families with three days of subsidised childcare per week, irrespective of their work or study status, replacing the previous activity test. It has been calculated that this initiative could save some families up to $11,400 annually on childcare fees. Additionally, the government plans a $5 billion investment to expand childcare services and increase educators' pay by 15%. I support these initiatives and will continue to push for increased funding measures that aim to alleviate financial pressures and improve accessibility to childcare for low-income households.  I will advocate for early childcare educators to be paid at a level that respects the work they do with our children.

Affordable childcare is also important in enabling women who want to work fulltime to be able to do so.  It is one way we can address the fact that it is so often women’s financial security which is impacted by part-time work and career breaks. 

I would also like us to explore other models of childcare – such as expanding the publicly funded primary school model to include early childcare. 

While most childcare providers are doing their best to care for our children, we know that some providers cut corners and are not providing care to the standard we would expect.  For this reason, I will also be looking to push for greater powers for the regulator, including a provision for unannounced audits.   I would also like to see this in other care models for similarly vulnerable people, such as aged care and disability support.