Excerpts

...

“Nationalise childcare and kindergarten and make them free,” Kohler said. “In other words, extend public education to children under five. It should never have been allowed to be entirely private.”

Low-income families currently receive childcare subsidies of up to 90 per cent, but Kohler argued that means testing meant middle-class families “often have nothing left after the mortgage and childcare”.

“This is a gender equality issue as well as a housing affordability and cost of living problem,” he said.

...