Childcare
Real grass still grows at my neighborhood childcare centre, in dirt which melts to mud when it rains.
A scrub turkey scratches about in the sandpit each evening. There’s a possum, too, hiding in the native trees which shade the garden-style playground. It often raids the vege patch - where kids use their bare hands to help plant and harvest carrots and cherry tomatoes.
Stray grown-ups need to look out, lest they be mown down by the junior Evil Knievels who hurtle around the playground on trikes - sans helmets.
Continue reading "A bit of dirt is as good as an apple a day" »
During the Prime Ministerial summit on childcare last week, it wouldn’t have taken Julia Gillard long to realise the current story was heading for an unhappy ending.
I hope this came as no surprise. For the best part of 20 months the Opposition has consistently argued the childcare industry was set to completely buckle under the impost of Labor’s new national regulations, which has resulted in rapidly increasing fees when parents can least afford them.
During this time, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, childcare fees have risen on average by 17 per cent and 110,000 parents aren’t working because they can’t locate suitable or affordable child care.
Continue reading "Labor’s childcare strategy is a lot of work for a little reward" »
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In the latest in a series of ‘pro-family’ initiatives that begun with a new paid-parental scheme, Tony Abbott is now suggesting changes to the childcare rebate, wanting to extend it to nannies in order to allow more flexibility. Basically, Abbott wants more families to have subsidised access to childcare - sounds great!
And, specifics aside, it’s a great idea. Single-parent families and families where both parents work will have more childcare options under the scheme. Parents would no longer need to seek out certified childcare agencies to enrol their children into – agencies that are often expensive and too popular to actually satisfy demand. They can work with any nanny they are comfortable with, allowing them to go out and work.
A nanny gets paid, a job gets filled, two jobs are created and Aussie families don’t have to foot the bill. A recipe for a stronger economy. Not bad, Tony.
Continue reading "Abbott’s nanny plan isn’t supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" »
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Rose says:
I would be disgusted if the plan was to have government funded nannies who were not regulated. I have no problem with the idea of subsidized in home child care but I have a massive problem with subsidized vacuuming, scrubbing, ironing etc. I also have a massive problem with the… Read more »
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Edward T. Head says:
I don’t mind paying for Education. I don’t mind paying for Health. I don’t mind paying for infrastructure. I object to paying for nannies so that Abbott can shore up votes with his weak demographics. Tony Abbott, socialist scumbag. Read more »
If a family has a nanny, you’d think they’d have to be pretty wealthy. Chances are you’d think they’d be able to afford a pretentious British butler and a stuffy Manhattan (or Mosman) mansion.
But times are changing. There’s some evidence that nannying is a growing alternative to childcare. And over the weekend the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, made clear he’s interested in transforming nannying into a more palatable alternative to childcare centres.
If elected at the next election, Abbott wants to explore expanding the childcare rebate to cover nannies. It’s not a flawless idea, but it’s a good one.
Continue reading "Getting a nanny could be just fine for some families" »
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Sarah says:
Okay I’ve only read half the comments on here because well there are a lot of them from a lot of whingers but as a mother who doesn’t work because childcare is more expensive than the minimum wage covers even with the rebate! I don’t hate this idea, I don’t… Read more »
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Cobbler says:
Wow Rosie, I’d recommend you read some books with some powerful messages but I’m not sure you’re equipped to engage in the complex activity of ‘reading’ after that ridiculous comment. The poor are not dependant on the rich at all. the poor tolerate the rich to the point where they… Read more »
Imagine you are the harried working parent of a bustling four-year-old child - unless of course you’re actually in the zone right now, experiencing all those many wonders first hand.
Next year’s the big one. School, and potentially a 13-year stretch of study, social integration, with hopefully some fun and a few of life’s lessons in the mix.
As you’re dropping them off at the local pre-school before zooming off to work, it is time to wonder how much do they really need to learn right now.
Continue reading "Don’t worry, they’re taking good care of your children" »
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Lorraine says:
Exactly, Bertrand. The problem is that parents want it all. They want the child but they do not want to spend time with it. So they park it with “strangers” who are at the pre-school to earn a living rather than nurture other people’s children. By the time these little… Read more »
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Utopia Boy says:
I’m not convinced pre school is necessary for any reason other than as a purely day care type arrangement. If it is compulsory/ necessary, it should be for fun, not structured learning - they’ll get that at school. It certainly should not be used to replace parenting, or to prepare… Read more »
With significant diversions during Federal Parliament last week one of the more contemptible political back flips in recent memory might have escaped your notice.
Without a blush, Labor - supported by the Greens in the Senate - took $700 a year from 21,000 parents to fund its reform agenda for the childcare industry.
A little explanatory background is needed.
Continue reading "Labor, Greens take chainsaw to your childcare benefits" »
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Bruce says:
Nothing surprises me ! Yep ! They gotta cut money from somewhere to make up for lost money and cock up’s elsewhere ! Read more »
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Destry says:
@TChong: Many of your Greenie mates bat for the other team and don’t reproduce at all. Which might explain some things they do. Read more »
The Coalition loves to play up its family credentials with Christian voters. But both the Coalition and pro-life groups talk big and do little to support women to have kids. This is the unspoken hypocrisy of the pro-life movement.
Under Howard, promoting family values became dogma, as a belief that American-style conservative campaigning - pro-life, anti-gay - would deliver dividends electorally.
Although the rise and fall of Family First suggests that the conservative Christian vote is overstated in Australia, pro-life lobbies have benefitted from an increase in influence on the Coalition (and at times Labor) as a consequence.
Continue reading "Family values and the hypocrisy of the pro-lifers" »
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Jodes says:
Thanks Anne. Yes I know about Emily’s List..sad for those who believe it and have “sold out”. Your story is amazing and one of true strength through adversity. And thank-you for also sharing. Im not sure where I got this but: “Every other child killed by abortion is a little… Read more »
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Anne Stocks says:
Dear Jodes, I feel very much for you, I also had an Abortion and suffered depression for many years, so deep I couldn’t even cry, my story is a sad one, it’s on a previous post, but I have now been healed and know like your babies, mine are in… Read more »
He’s been billed as New Zealand’s answer to the Super Nanny and his program The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show, which advocates punishing children by padlocking them in their rooms, will be screening in Australia later this year.
Nigel Latta says that reasoning with toddlers is “like trying to explain bad behaviour to drunken rugby hoons with the language skills of a chimpanzee” and that the only way to bring the little buggers into line and save your own sanity is to lock them away for a while.
Latta, who it should be stressed doesn’t support smacking, is entitled to his view. It’s clearly a harsh view, and the theatrical addition of a padlock to the traditional time-out is obviously there to drive ratings. But there would be plenty of frazzled parents out there who would agree that from time to time the only solution to a crazed tantrum-throwing two-year-old is a dose of isolation, to let them cool down and regroup shortly after. Ideally without resorting to a padlock.
Continue reading "Say yes to Easter eggs but no to naughty corners" »
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John says:
Why no just create Marxist school center’s. Paint the entire school red and put up some Stalin, Lenin and Mao status and make them worship them 10 minutes a day. This is what it’s all about, brain washing our kids to be christian haters and atheists. Just don’t tell them… Read more »
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Mensur Cehic says:
“The more disturbing PC element of the new guidelines is the squeamishness over cultural activities such as Easter. The idea that Easter Egg hunts should be banned for fear of offending kiddies from a non-Christian background is quite absurd.” What the author of this article has FAILED to recognize is… Read more »
As all the cool kids got themselves in a lather over last night’s budget I noticed a distinct void in the chatter. Where were the mums and dads? Turns out that lots of them were watching Masterchef (possibly the people’s new opium) - studiously avoiding the budget telecast.
Political apathy seemed to be the flavour of the day, plated up and served with a side of Couldn’t Give a Shit.
Was it the fault of the no-frills budget? Or have we lost faith in a government which once seemed to promise so much?
Continue reading "Boring, unsexy: Who’d rather watch MasterChef?" »
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Fed Up says:
The devil is in the detail. Forget the spin show of a budget presentation and wait for the chance to read all the other bits! What you all need to watch are reruns of “Yes Prime Minister”. It may be over 30 years old and billed as comedy but its… Read more »
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Neil Prasad says:
I am surprised at the tunnel vision some of us Australians have when it comes to things like budgets and are only supporting it if we’re getting tax cuts or cash in hand. We often tend to miss the big picture. For example, investing in apprenticeship programs for our locals… Read more »
Yep, everyone should have access to childcare. It should be affordable, accessible, high-quality. But there’s a limit to what society should pay.
People are outraged that the Federal Government has decided not to build more than 200 childcare centres. Yeah, they broke an election promise. They did it because they need to claw back a whole lot of cash for a bunch of other stuff – health reform and such.
They say they also worked out that there are already too many childcare centres. According to their statistics, there are thousands upon thousands of spare places. If that’s right, then they shouldn’t spend precious taxpayer dollars on more places.
Continue reading "A broken promise everyone should welcome" »
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JJJ says:
Completely agree Christian. Having children should be an honour that you work for, not a right. Read more »
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John A Neve says:
Randal, I don’t know what Rudd might have done in the same situation and neither do you. But what he might have done matters not, he was not in government. If you suggesting that all Australian PM’s are subservient to America it says little for our independence!! As to how… Read more »
On our summer holidays we had a baby.
And with the joy of Georgia’s arrival managing the night has reached a new level of complexity. For parents of young families this is one of the great challenges of life.
Night feeds, bad dreams, wet beds and sleep walking have been part and parcel of the night shift in our house for more than a decade now. Yet of the four children easily the busiest at night, at least for now, has been Harvey.
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Lisa says:
I love my fire-shooting plants. They are turning me into a more patient, more giving, more loving and less critical person. Read more »
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Bob says:
I’m sorry, Peanut, (mayI call you Peanut, if that’s not too familiar?) I didn’t realise you were attempting humor. I take back the suggestion of writing an article yourself, clearly writing is not your thing. Not that good at reading, either, as you seem to have missed the fact that… Read more »
Since recently becoming a mother, I seem to have developed an obsession with cake. And it has nothing to do with knowing I should really shun chocolate éclairs if I’m going to fit into a pre-baby size 10 again.
No, what I’ve been grappling with is my determination to have it all when it comes to balancing family and work. The desire to return to my stressful, you’d-have-to-be-mad-to-work-here job without relinquishing the joys and challenges of my newfound role as a parent.
So there it is in all its unfashionable, unrealistic glory: the desire to want the proverbial cake and eat it too.
Continue reading "Sniping at working mothers is no solution at all" »
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Richard says:
As both a single parent, an employee and a boss; I can assure you - regardless of the policies, regulations or laws, there is always one set of expectations for men and another for women. For better or worse. As to the detail behind that statement….well, invite me to cake… Read more »
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Kidfree! says:
What is it about having children that turns normal women into psychotic, jealous, sniping harpies? So some mothers work, that is their decision or their need, so what? Some women have to, and working mums don’t find the mindless, never ending baby talk and drudgery of motherhood endlessly fascinating. SAHMs… Read more »
Close examination of the Rudd Government’s much-touted childcare reforms brings to mind the wonderful quote by Milton Friedman “the government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem”.
In this case, it may in fact be worse.
Labor’s proposals for more highly qualified staff in all childcare services, and lower child:staff ratios in the name of “quality care” are, on the face of it, very worthy. What self-respecting human being doesn’t want the very best for our children? How can an emphasis on “quality” be anything but laudable?
Continue reading "Future of childcare: where have all the parents gone?" »
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pdev says:
Bec I agree with you completely. Have 2 children now 15 and 12. They spent 2-3 days in long day care from ages 1-5. Still talk fondly of their carers, the food and their friends, Most of the stay at home brigade are lazy, poorly educated and have very limited… Read more »
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Lisa says:
Personally, I think the nuclear family is great. I love my mother-in-law, but having to live with her 24hours a day? No, thank you. I’d rather visit you at Christmas, (and look after my own kids in the meantime). Read more »
Generation X (broadly defined as those born 1961-1981) was labelled the “me” generation by their earnest baby boomer parents – they were regarded as self-absorbed and too selfish to commit to marriage and parenting.
So what happens when the “me” generation is in charge of the next generation?
The fact is that the vast majority of today’s parents with children aged 0-12 years are Gen Xers – myself included. The popular perception is that the Gen Xers who grew up in the era of “outsourcing” have taken it literally and are now outsourcing all aspects of family life – most especially childcare.
Continue reading "The me generation in charge of the who generation?" »
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Jimbo says:
I think too many Australians are using the “cost of living” as an excuse to stay at work at put the kids in childcare. If they were to make sacrifices on eating out, smoking, drinking, and yes, even the “4 bedroom + rumpus room + media room + study” house,… Read more »
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paulm says:
I’m GenX. My child is cared for by grandparents 3 days a week and his mum the other 2 days (who works the other 3 days). I get time off for leave, plus can sometimes get overtime in credit for extra days off. But ideally we’d both love to take… Read more »
A peculiar thing about the Puddin’ was that, though they had all had a great many slices off him, there was no sign of the place whence the slices had been cut. ‘That’s where the Magic comes in,’ explained Bill. ‘The more you eats the more you gets.’ - Norman Lindsay’s The Magic Pudding
Generations of Aussie children have been captivated by Norman Lindsay’s classic story centred on the exploits of Albert, a somewhat devious pudding who had the magical quality of being anything the eater desired and, fortunately, limitless in quantity.
It’s no wonder Albert appeals to children of all ages - he epitomises the hedonistic and naïve dream of “having your cake and eating it too” (literally).
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Elizabeth says:
Perhaps Mr Rudd, Mr Swan and Ms Ellis would like to visit regional Australia and find for me - a working mum of two - these childcare vacancies. I have looked…and I can not find. Thank you Sophie. Read more »
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Numble says:
Very good article. Please can we hear more thoughtful articles like this one from Liberal politicians? Tony Abbott’s written a few lately too. Take the fight to the spin, take the fight to The Government, but do it on merits. Read more »
The shocking case last week of a two-year-old Victorian girl being savagely beaten has once again raised the issue of child abuse into the headlines.
It has started an important debate about when to remove children from their parents and what constitutes a child at risk.
Despite some horrifying high profile cases in recent years, child abuse is a problem that many Australians still think is limited to a certain section of the community.
While this view might make it easier for us to sleep at night, it does nothing to protect the more than 30,000 Australian children who were abused or neglected last year.
Continue reading "Child abuse is still our national shame" »
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Anon says:
Jeremy: There are scientifically proven prevention programs that reduce child abuse. Many of the times they are not available or not implemented correctly. Rick: You’re an idiot. The welfare of the community (including children) is everyone’s responsibility and not just the parents. If the parents are not coping and all… Read more »
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Rick says:
The community is not responsible, the parents are! If you think society is the problem then it is time for society to take action and remove the rights of some people to have children (i.e. Sterilisation) . If you think it can’t be done then stop blaming the government for… Read more »
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