This morning on local radio upcoming Federal Government changes to the child care rebate were discussed with the general manager in the Community Engagement Division for the Department of Human Services, Hank Jongen.
With less than one month until the child care changes take place, there are 517 families in Launceston who will be worse off from July 2 under the Turnbull Government’s unfair child care package.
This shocking number will see 1 in 7 families across the Bass electorate out of pocket when they lose the subsidy. They will have to pay more for early education or keep their kids at home.
Families rely on child care support to balance the budget – but this government is determined to make it harder to access early education.
These families are among the 279,000 families across the country that will be worse off under the Turnbull Government’s unfair child care package.
What makes this worse is the Education Department has confirmed 176,000 of these families are in the two lowest income brackets. These are people who should deserve support.
The new system is extremely complex and will be difficult for many families to understand. Families will need to know how they fit into one of three criteria to understand the rate they are subsided, including combined family income and an activity test, which most affects low income families, Tasmanian families.
It is so complicated, the Liberals have decided it is just easier to keep 5 per cent of the subsidy and give it back to families if they fluke getting their estimates right.
This is a government with its priorities all wrong – they would rather give away $80 billion to big business and the banks than invest in early education.
ROSS HART MP MEMBER FOR BASS
