Page 646 - Week 02 - Thursday, 20 February 2020
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Over some years there has been the introduction of a significant national legislative regulatory framework for the provision of early childhood education and care and substantial changes to childcare subsidies. With all of this comes a significant regulatory burden and a cost that for many family day care operators has been too much.
Again, we need to remember these are, at best, small family-run businesses but more often than not a mother with a willingness to provide care for others in her community, looking for a flexible work environment. Family day care provides families with another choice besides centre-based care and plays an important role in ensuring that there are enough childcare places for working families across Canberra. However, it is my fear that the ever-increasing regulatory burden and the cost impact are forcing many operators to reconsider what they are doing, which will ultimately limit choice for families.
As is the case for many businesses in the ACT, they are just being pushed to the wall as regulation is making it harder and harder for them to operate and survive. While the bill has the intent of protecting workers, there is a cost burden on the small operator, particularly one where a sole individual is offering home-based family day care, and this consideration is rarely factored in. We urge those opposite, when making changes that could have a detrimental impact, to consider not just this impost on those that operate a small business in this space but the wider implication for ensuring the adequate supply and mix of day care options.
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (4.07): The Greens will be supporting the Workers Compensation Amendment Bill. The safety of workers in the territory is paramount, and improvements to the system that protect their health and wellbeing are to be welcomed. This bill proposes changes to the default insurance fund in the Workers Compensation Act 1951 to provide workers compensation cover to an injured worker who is employed by a contractor that does not have a valid workers compensation policy in place and where there is also a responsible principal contractor that is uninsured.
We expect that everyone who goes to work each day will return home safely. This is true whether employees engage under contracts or in permanent roles and no matter the circumstances of their employment. We have all heard stories of those who have suffered a workplace injury. Recovering from the injury, dealing with the financial and personal costs and planning to return to work are burdens enough without the worry of not being covered by workers compensation.
This bill provides an added level of protection to ensure coverage for more ACT workers, and we support this provision. Minister Orr is also seeking to make amendments that declare all individuals who provide family day care services through an approved family day care service to be workers employed by that service under the act.
The bill will adopt the definition contained in the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Act, which governs the approval of all family day care services
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