Childcare: What the major parties are promising

Who are the women running for election in 2022? Check out Women Elect, our page tracking female candidates.

Rising costs of childcare are key concerns for families, with new CPI figures showing they’re paying 28 per cent more for childcare now, than back in 2015.

We know childcare is an area that places financial pressure on families. Childcare costs play a critical part in women’s workplace participation, as well as the number of days that parents can actually work. 

Meanwhile, accessing quality education is essential for children 

And the sector itself faces another crisis: with 72 per cent of educators indicating plans to leave the sector, according to an August 2021 – largely due to feeling undervalued and overworked. 

When looking at ECEC as a policy area, it’s critical to not only consider the costs parents face but also plans to improve pay and working conditions for the (majority female) educators within the sector. 

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR: Our 2022 election policy pages are live, and updated as we learn more from each of the major parties. 

THE COALITION

• No announcements as yet beyond changes already implemented during the Morrison Government
• Continue to invest $11 billion into child care each year, with subsidies “targeted to families who need them most”

LABOR

• Has a “Plan for Cheaper Childcare” that proposes changes to the child care subsidy (CCS) including a rising of the eligibility to a taxable household income of $530,000, as well as an increase to the maximum CCS subsidy available 
• Lift max child care subsidy rate to 90 per cent for families for their first child in care
• Retain higher child care subsidy rates for second and additional children in care 
• Extend increased subsidy to out of hours school care. 
• Invest approx $5.4 billion from July 2023 to make childcare cheaper 

THE GREENS

• A $19 billion investment to make early childcare accessible and free for everyone 
• No subsidy gaps or eligibility requirements. 

Go deeper. Read Brendan Ryan’s analysis of how each of the major parties’ childcare policies different in costs, and how they impact those with one, two, or more children in care.