[Greens-Media] Greens move for emergency childcare summit

[Clark, Gemma (Sen S. Hanson-Young)]

Monday 10 November 2008

Greens move for emergency childcare summit

The Greens will tomorrow move in the Senate for the Federal Government
to hold an emergency summit on the ABC Learning collapse, as a first
step towards reforming childcare in Australia.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will move for the summit following the
corporate collapse of ABC Learning last Thursday, and the Government's
announcement on Friday of a $22 million prop-up of the company to keep
ABC centres open until December 31. 

"It is up to the Government to recognise that it must call the service
providers, childcare sector experts, local government, parents and
community groups together to discuss how to end this crisis affecting
more than a quarter of Australia's childcare," said Senator
Hanson-Young.

"For too long profiteers and shareholders have been dictating how
childcare, an essential community service, is delivered in Australia.

"We need to open up the lines of communication and learn from those who
are caring for children, speaking to parents, and running these centres
every day to determine how best to stabilise and improve Australian
childcare.

"The expertise and experience of those in the sector should be included
in planning the direction childcare in Australia needs to take after
this crisis."  

Senator Hanson-Young said the Government's response to the ABC Learning
collapse had so far been inadequate.

"A $22 million interim prop-up for this company to keep its centres open
until December 31 does not constitute an adequate contingency plan," she
said.

"It's a company to which Australian taxpayers have already contributed
significantly through government subsidies.

"Clearly the status quo in Australian childcare is not working. We need
a re-think and this summit is the first step towards that."

Senator Hanson-Young flagged several issues that the emergency summit
could look at, including:

*	Getting the views of service providers, community and parent
groups on the best course of action to overcome the childcare crisis
*	Ensuring continuity of childcare for more than 1000 ABC Learning
Centres in Australia beyond January 1, 2009 
*	Examining the viability of current ABC Learning Centres to be
operated as not-for-profit
*	Investigating how to make available start-up grants for parents
and community groups to establish not-for-profit childcare centres, or
to take over the running of existing centres
*	Protecting childcare workers' entitlements, should these be
threatened by ABC Learning's collapse

"This crisis represents an opportunity for childcare in Australia to
transform from a market-driven industry to a vital community service and
a government-supported first step in lifelong learning," said Senator
Hanson-Young.

"The emergency summit on childcare is the first step towards that
transformation."

Media contact: Gemma Clark on 0427 604 760