DECLINING BIRTHRATES CAN BE ADDRESSED BY MAKING EARLY LEARNING MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE, ADVOCATES SAY
24 July 2024 – With a new report from KPMG showing Australia is in a “baby recession” [1], Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaign has reiterated its calls to make early childhood education and care more affordable, as a means to help reduce the barriers preventing Australians from choosing to have more children.
The report from KPMG found that birth rates in Australia fell to their lowest level in two decades last year, declining a further 4.6 per cent from 2022.
Minderoo Foundation’s Jay Weatherill said that the high costs of early childhood education and care were a significant contributor to many Australians’ decision to choose not to have more children.
“Australia has some of the highest early learning costs in the world, and we know that for many families this is top of mind when they’re considering whether or not to have more children.
“We currently do not have the kinds of adequate support systems which are needed to help remove the barriers preventing many Australians from considering having more children.
“High early learning costs often have a direct impact on workforce participation by primary carers, who are predominantly women, preventing many of them from working as many hours as they would like or working at all.
“This is an unfair choice that no family should have to make, and it is clear that it is contributing to many Australians choosing to have fewer or no children.
“Earlier this year, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in an interview that he hopes Australians would consider having more children to ensure the long-term prosperity of the nation [2].
“If the Treasure and others in the government would like to see Australian families choose to have more children, it is clear that we must take steps necessary to make early learning truly accessible and affordable.
“This includes practical steps the Federal Government can take in the short term such as scrapping the punitive childcare subsidy activity test.
“Over the long term, we’re calling on the Federal Government to cap early learning fees for most families at $10/day and make early learning free for low-income families, and work towards building a truly universal early childhood education and care system.
“By making Australia a more supportive country for families with young children, we can help ensure that the barriers currently preventing many from choosing to have more children are removed,” Mr Weartherill said.
[2] Inside Politics – Treasurer Jim Chalmers promises relief in the upcoming budget.
