LATEST ABS FIGURES SHOW 80,000 WOMEN PREVENTED FROM WORKING BECAUSE CHILDCARE SYSTEM IS BROKEN
1 December 2023 – More than 80,000 Australian women want to work or increase their working hours but cannot because they are caring for children, new ABS figures show.
It comes two weeks after parents, educators and experts convened in Canberra to call for an entitlement to three days per week of early childhood education for no more than $10 per day to be enshrined in law.
Minderoo Foundation’s Jay Weatherill said the high cost of early learning and lack of available places meant children and families were missing out.
“This data clearly shows we have tens of thousands of willing workers currently sidelined from our economy because of a broken early childhood education system,” Mr Weatherill said.
“At a time when we have serious skills shortages in female-dominated industries like aged care and teaching, affordable childcare would free up the workers our economy desperately needs. Being unable to work more or at all puts even more pressure on families who are shouldering a heavy cost of living burden.”
In addition to the 81,000 women, 12,000 men also said they wanted to work or work more hours but could not because they were caring for children.
The ABS data shows 54 per cent of parents who were not working said financial assistance with childcare costs would be an incentive to work.
Mr Weatherill said the Federal Government could help parents afford childcare by abolishing the Activity Test, which determines how many hours of subsidised childcare families receive based on the number of hours they work, study or do other approved activities like volunteering.
“The Activity Test is confusing, and it’s not functioning as an incentive to work. In fact, it’s doing the opposite. Scrapping the Activity Test would be good for the economy and good for families.”
The Productivity Commission, ACC and Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce have all recommended the Activity Test be amended or abolished.
Media contact: Iona Salter (Essential Media), 0413 185 634
