Page 4447 - Week 10 - Thursday, 23 September 2010

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For the other element, if I were to believe any other word you said there, this department works across the sector to ensure that the implementation of the transition into the quality agenda framework is about quality for our children being considered.

Mr Smyth: You should just sit down.

MS BURCH: No, I will not sit down. I think I might stand here for another one minute and 47 seconds. For your benefit, Mr Speaker, I will sit.

Mr Smyth interjecting—

MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, your next question?

MR SMYTH: I will have the next question if you like, but my supplementary would be: minister, what would be the supply impacts of the new ratios for childcare in the ACT?

MS BURCH: The supply impacts?

Mr Smyth: Yes.

MS BURCH: Supply of workforce? Supply of children? This government is committed—

Opposition members interjecting—

MS BURCH: It is a bit of a nonsense question.

Opposition members interjecting—

MR SPEAKER: Order! Let us hear the minister.

MS BURCH: The national quality agenda is clearly set out and we are moving towards it. There are ratios for workforce to child. There are qualification standards in there as well. The standards that we are looking at is to implement a one to four ratio for children under two. For those over two, it is a one to five ratio. Here in the ACT we already meet those standards for the over-twos. For the under-twos, 25 per cent of our services meet those standards. That is what we are working towards.

On the qualifications, Access Economics advice and the advice that I have is that we will meet those standards by 2015. These processes start in 2012. We are working with the sector to implement those transitional changes.

MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Dunne?

MRS DUNNE: A supplementary question, with some trepidation. Minister, what other limitations and unmodelled costs have you identified in your analysis of the reforms?


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