Fed: Fed govt must act on childcare in May Budget - ACTU

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2005
Fed: Fed govt must act on childcare in May Budget - ACTU

CANBERRA, April 6 AAP - The federal government should address the shortage of childcare
places in the May budget, ACTU president Sharan Burrow said today.

Ms Burrow said the situation was being compounded by the option of parents with young
children to re-enter the workforce.

"The ACTU endorses the call for a national summit that would examine the chronic shortage
of childcare places that now looks like it is getting worse," she said in a statement.

Ms Burrow cited recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing 250,000 babies
were born in Australia in the past year, as putting further pressure on childcare.

She said an ACTU survey found a lack of childcare places was a major problem for parents
with 52 per cent of respondents indicating a lack of care was limiting the number of hours
they could work.

"The high cost of childcare is also a problem, with 62 per cent of parents responding
that childcare is not affordable," she said.

These and other problems, she said, made a mockery of Treasurer Peter Costello's efforts
to push low-income parents into the workforce by withdrawing their benefits.

"Not only is it harmful to force parents back to work before their children are ready,
it is wrong to suggest parents should lose their benefits when there are not enough childcare
places and too few employers are prepared to offer family-flexible working hours," she
said.

AAP dep/snp

KEYWORD: CHILDCARE

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