10-November-2011
Goldstein Media Releases
Bayside families will bear the brunt of the bureaucratic burden the Labor Government is imposing on childcare centres, forcing the closure of the council-run Sandringham and Hampton Childcare Centres, and leaving families without a childcare place for the New Year.
The Labor Government’s National Quality Framework, commencing 1 January 2012, will tighten staff-to-child ratios in childcare centres and mandate quality benchmarks on operators.
I am also concerned that the decision of Bayside City Council to close all its childcare centres may not have involved proper consultation with the parents involved.
I will be meeting with representatives of the parents and will raise the matter with the Bayside City Council.
The Bayside City Council will need to reduce the number of childcare places to meet the new regulations. However, the reduction in places makes these childcare centres financially unviable, and rather than raise fees an extra $25 a day the Council has decided to close the Hampton and Sandringham Childcare Centres, leaving dozens of families in the lurch.
The Government’s timeframe for introducing the reforms and lack of support for childcare operators is unacceptable.
A Productivity Commission report released in June clearly states that the Government’s timeframes are “optimistic” at best, and that the cost of these reforms will ultimately fall to families.
To satisfy this Government’s framework, childcare centres need more staff who are qualified. These people are simply not available within Minister Kate Ellis’ timeframe.
Childcare operators are faced with the decision of either increasing their fees at a time when parents can least afford it, or cutting places when demand has never been higher.
Kate Ellis should come to Bayside and meet with the families who face an uncertain Christmas thanks to her poorly-implemented childcare reforms.