Description:
On the motion of Senator Hanson-Young on 25 November 2008, the Senate referred the following matters to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee for inquiry and report by 12 March 2009 (subsequently extended to 18 June, 17 September, 29 October and finally 23 November 2009):
a) The financial, social and industry impact of the ABC Learning collapse on the provision of child care in Australia;
b) Alternative options and models for the provision of child care;
c) The role of governments at all levels in:
- Funding for community, not-for-profit and independent service providers,
- Consistent regulatory frameworks for child care across the country,
- Licensing requirements to operate child care centres,
- Nationally-consistent training and qualification requirements for child care workers, and
- The collection, evaluation and publishing of reliable, up-to-date data on casual and permanent child care vacancies;
d) The feasibility for establishing a national authority to oversee the child care industry in Australia; and
e) Other related matters.
...
This report discusses a range of issues salient to the provision, funding, planning and oversight of childcare services. The lessons from the growth and ultimate collapse of ABC Learning are described in chapter two. Chapter three surveys some of the research relating to children's development and its application in the provision of childcare together with discussion of the need for planning. Changing funding policies of various governments are discussed in chapter four with recommendations on future funding. Chapter five presents issues related to the accreditation, regulation and licensing of childcare services and proposes a new structure for a national childcare authority.
See CRRU's Child Care in the News for related articles.