New data reveals families are saving thousands on childcare costs thanks to the Labor government's expanded subsidy. Education Minister Jason Clare highlights the program's success in reducing costs for over a million families and improving working conditions for childcare providers.
New data released by the Department of Education reveals that the average family earning around $120,000 who spend 30 hours per week on childcare have saved approximately $2,768 since September 2023. Education Minister Jason Clare celebrated Labor's commitment to reducing childcare costs for over one million families. Minister Clare highlighted the government's efforts to address the escalating childcare costs that plagued families before Labor took office two and a half years ago.
'When we were elected 2.5 years ago, childcare costs had skyrocketed. We have now cut the cost of childcare now for more than a million Australian families,' he stated during a visit to Goodstart Jerrabomberra, an early learning center in New South Wales. The childcare subsidy, expanded by the current government, allows households with combined incomes up to $533,380 to apply for a discount. Families with incomes up to $83,280 can receive up to 90 percent back on their childcare expenses. Clare emphasized the positive impact of the subsidy, citing a 30 percent surge in job applications at Goodstart and a 28 percent decline in vacancy rates. He asserted that increasing wages for childcare and early education workers is crucial for sustaining a thriving industry. 'It shows that when you pay people more, more people want to do the job. And there aren't many jobs that are more important than our early educators,' he remarked. The Albanese government has pledged to establish a $1 billion early education fund if re-elected in the upcoming federal election. The data also indicates that the average Australian family has saved around $2,700 on childcare costs in the past year.Minister for Early Childhood Education Anne Aly stressed the importance of valuing the early childhood education and care workforce. 'Properly valuing the early childhood education and care workforce is crucial to attracting and retaining workers and vital to achieving the quality universal early learning sector Australian families deserve,' she said. 'We're boosting the wages of early childhood education workers, while relieving cost of living pressures on Australian families.'
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