Page 2395 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 12 August 2014
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designated school for supporting early childhood education, and upgrades across a number of our centres. Ms Berry mentioned Kippax. I know of a new site at Macarthur. We have invested significant money to make sure that Canberra families do have access to long-day care places and to preschool places.
In fact it was only just last week, I think, on a matter of public importance, that I reminded the Assembly of the investment of this government that has seen a 94 per cent increase in places for early childhood care in the ACT. From 2011 to 2014, there was a growth of 2,068 places. I call that no slight growth. I call that a reasonable growth and investment by this government, with 700 of those places coming in last year alone.
There was mention of the importance of the preschool years, and reference to the Productivity Commission. I also draw the attention of those in this Assembly to the comments by the Productivity Commission that recommends that the Australian government, the Australian federal government, continue to fund universal access to early childhood education care because the current arrangements will come to an end in December this year. So, in a matter of months, Canberra families could have reduced offerings of early education and care courtesy of the Australian government.
The Productivity Commission also recommends that further federal funding be provided to states and territories to allow universal access to early childhood care in long-day care centres. So the call goes to Ms Lawder not to stand here and say, “This government needs to do more,” but actually to get on the phone, maybe approach federal colleagues and ask why they do not commit to universal access funding and not leave Canberra families in this state of uncertainty.
Ms Berry made reference to Ms Lawder’s statement. I think she used words along the lines of a reference to an expensive car and she was accused of verballing. I quote from Hansard of 5 August, where Ms Lawder said:
We need to acknowledge that the ACT has the highest cost of child care in the country. It is disingenuous to put quality completely above affordability and availability. If you cannot afford a Rolls-Royce or a Ferrari, there is no point talking about the quality that you get from it because it is completely out of your price bracket and it does not matter how good the performance is of that car.
Very clearly the point is that Ms Lawder was the one that brought in the Rolls-Royce and the Ferrari. It was Ms Lawder. Ms Lawder was not verballed. Hansard shows that if you cannot afford a Rolls-Royce or a Ferrari there is no point talking about quality.
So there it is. The federal Liberals wanted to pull out of the national partnership and stop funding universal access to child care in preschools. The Canberra Liberals here have not put one motion of assent, no policy, not a zip towards having early childhood care, education and care as a priority. In fact there is nothing. In fact Ms Lawder says, “If you cannot afford a Rolls-Royce, do not ask about quality.” So I am not quite sure where you go with your early childhood care policies. It is quite frightening to Canberra families that you do not recognise the investment of this government that sees a 94 per cent increase in availability for early child care, and that is your response.
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