HUGE WIN FOR AUSTRALIA’S CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AS GOVT CHILDCARE BILL PASSES
13 February 2025 – More than 126,000 children and their families are set to benefit under new childcare laws passed by Parliament today.
The Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025 guarantees every Australian family has access to three days of subsidised early learning per week and abolishes the controversial Activity Test.
The Activity Test had restricted the number of hours of subsidised early learning families could access, disproportionately impacting low-income, rural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households.
Jay Weatherill from Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaign said this represented a giant step towards establishing a universal early learning system in Australia.
“Today marks a great victory for Australia’s children and families,” Mr Weatherill said
“With the passage of this bill and the abolition of the punitive Activity Test, over 126,000 Australian children, mostly from lower-income households, will be able to access the life-changing positive benefits of early learning.
“More than 40,000 primary carers, who are predominantly women, will be able to re-enter the workforce, should they choose to.
“It is a massive win for our nation’s children and families, and we commend the Federal Government for taking this momentous step forward towards universal early learning.
“We also congratulate the Greens and Independent candidates for helping pass this vital piece of reform.
“Research shows that access to high-quality care and learning in the early years can set children up for lifelong success.
“However, restrictive policies like the Activity Test, high costs, and a lack of services have long prevented many children, mostly from vulnerable backgrounds, from accessing it.
“The passage of this bill will go a long way towards breaking down the barriers preventing children from disadvantaged backgrounds from accessing early learning.
“We look forward to the swift implementation of this law and working with the Federal Government towards the obvious next step in realising the PM’s vision of a universal early learning system in Australia: the introduction of $10 a day fee caps,” Mr Weatherill said.
