4,337 Families in Lalor set to be worse off under the Turnbull Government's Child Care Package

The Government’s own secret hit list has revealed 4,337 families in Lalor will be worse off under the Turnbull Government’s new child care package come July 2.

These families are part of the 279,000 families around Australia who will be worse off under the Liberals new package.

This is extremely worrying news as most of the families who stand to be worse off are families in the lowest income cohort – that is families who have a combined family income of less than $65,710.

Under the Government’s package, families will have to satisfy a complex set of rules to qualify for government assistance – with a work test and a means test set to hit vulnerable families the worst. The work test will require families to satisfy minimum levels of ‘approved activities’ each fortnight – which will knock thousands of low income families out of the system and out of early education.

This new slug on families is on top of the 18% growth in fees (to March 2017) since the election of the Liberal Government – which means families are on average paying over $2,000 more a year.

The Turnbull Government is seriously out of touch when it claims credit for an increase in fees, and for introducing a new childcare package which leaves over 4,337 families in Lalor worse off.

This is another kick in the guts for families who are struggling with casualisation, flat wages growth, and facing massive hikes in their electricity, education and health bills.

If the Turnbull Government was serious about supporting Australian families they wouldn’t be rubbing their unfair policies in the face of those families who are already struggling, with day to day costs.

“This government continues to make decisions that lock locals out of training and out of work and lock them into lives where work is scarce and casualised. This is just another example that demonstrates how out of touch the Turnbull Government is with families like those in this electorate,” says Ms Ryan.

Labor has a proud record in early education and child care reform, including;

• Reducing the financial burden of child care on families with increases to the child care rebate from 30 to 50 per cent of out of pocket costs
• Increased the child care subsidy to $7,500
• Invested $970 million to create universal access to preschool for 4 year olds in partnership with the States and Territories

MONDAY, 15 JANUARY 2018