Labor leader Bill Shorten on Sunday conceded the 2016 election to Malcolm Turnbull, though it remains uncertain whether the Coalition will form a majority or minority government. So what’s ahead now for health, infrastructure, the economy, welfare, education and more? The Conversation’s experts respond to what the Coalition’s agenda will mean for key policy areas. […]
Spending on early years education seems to be a tough sell for politicians. A significant number of Australians, both politicians and voters, see “childcare” as a service to help parents get back to work, despite growing recognition that early education is important for children’s learning and development. The discussion tends to focus on household budgets […]
What a difference a year makes. Last year’s federal Budget included a $3.5 billion investment to begin a new system of Child Care Subsidies in the new Jobs for Families package. Then, in November last year, we saw changes to the package to cut the subsidy rate for high income earners to 20 per cent – reducing the package by […]
Two reports released last week provide valuable information to assess the Government’s proposed Jobs for Families Childcare Package. Samantha Page, CEO of Early Childhood Australia, calls on the Federal Government to amend the Package Bill to ensure that all three and four year olds in Australia will be able to access early childhood education. Early Childhood […]
