On the News - Families

Earlier today, the Minister for Family and Community Services was interviewed on Channel 7 about the lack of places in child minding centres and the cost of child minding.

I think a valid point was made by the people doing the interview. If the government is concerned about the lack of workers in the work force and is hell bent on "encouraging" sole parents, child rearing parents, the disabled and indeed anyone else they can think of to boost the ranks of the 'available for work' group as part of their effort to increase work force participation then it should provide incentives and not disincentives to the people they are "encouraging".

It was pointed out during the interview that in NSW the average cost of child care was around 300 dollars per WEEK for a single child. This is more than some people pay for their weekly rent!

Why on earth would you go to work for an average wage from which you are likely to lose at least half if not more, in taxes of one form or another and THEN have to pay around $300 per week to have someone look after the kids while you are slaving away at a job so that you can return home and become even more exhausted than you already are looking after the kids from then on with none of the quality time you had before you went to work?

Let's hear a round of applause for the sound social policy decisions which seem to be emanating either from certain research groups in the community or perhaps the Minister's department or perhaps just from the minds of those around the Cabinet table who have money to burn on their tax payer funded salaries.