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A 2012 wish? That Labor cares occasionally.
13-December-2011
Given anticipation the 43rd Federal Parliament would be a fresh and democratically charged ‘paradigm’, it is fair to say the first 12 months or so has been a let down.
This is no better illustrated than by an unheralded turn of events which occurred on the floor of the House of Representatives, November 24, the last sitting day of the year.
A Private Members motion that day called on Federal Labor to restore $12m
funding it had decided to cut from the nation’s occasional childcare sector.
There are lots of words that pass through this hall of power and a great number
were spoken that day when one Speaker departed and a new one arrived.
A great many more could have been uttered if the proposal for a Minerals Resource Rent Tax had been allowed full and proper legislative process.
Much ado and newspaper space covered the actions of Masters’ Jenkins and
Slipper (and yet another new tax) but little on the twenty one little words I wish to
recall today.
“The consequence of ceasing this funding has caused Australian families real hardship as they struggle to find alternative sources of childcare”.
Politics 2011, and reportage, has become so immersed with the cut, thrust and adversarial warfare that some of the basic stuff affecting the average mum,
dad & family is consigned to a bothersome or unmentioned casualty.
Upset that a vital option for their children’s care was about to be taken away,
some months ago parents began contacting their local MP’s. A petition was assembled with several thousand mums and dads signing that concern to paper.
With the Coalition and cross benchers set to back the return of Commonwealth support for this short-term care for our kids, the ALP agreed to the motion lest they be humbled by a more prominent dividing of the House,
Immediately, and since, despite actually concurring they are hurting families, Labor says this motion will do nothing to change their policy.
Many should ask, as I do today, ‘why not’?
Through their Childcare Minister, Kate Ellis, Labor accuses us of “playing games”.
Well, no Ms Ellis, we’re not. We’ll restore this funding when re-elected.
The ALP would also have us believe the entire childcare industry is in crisis,
yet the only real crisis is their baffling supervision of this vital family assistance.
Tighter staff-to-child ratios and care arrangements at long day care centres come into force from next month, with many operators forced to significantly raise fees
as a consequence.
Labor’s retort has been to deride these small businesses as ‘profiteers’.
New rules for four-year-olds attending kindergarten also apply from 2012,
but a confusingly administered ‘15 hour attendance law’ sees some centres
shutting out three-year-olds just to comply.
And now, it’s more than 15,000 families across Australia being impacted by an arrogant and unexpected back-turn on hundreds of occasional childcare services.
Through this year, much news space has also signalled increasing public frustration towards parliamentary happenings and behaviour in Canberra.
Unless we give the people back their voice, that won’t change either.