NEW REPORT SHOWS HOW AUSTRALIA CAN LEARN FROM COUNTRIES WITH BETTER CHILDCARE SYSTEMS
16 September 2024 – A new report published by Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute shows how Australia can build a better childcare and early learning system, according to Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaign.
The International Childcare Deserts report compares the early learning systems of high-income countries including Australia, Norway, Sweden, France and the United Kingdom. [1]
The report’s findings show that in countries where the government funds childcare services directly, a much larger share of low-income and rural children tend to attend early learning.
In contrast, in countries where governments instead provide childcare subsidies to parents, like Australia, fewer low-income and rural children tend to attend early learning.
Minderoo Foundation’s Griffin Longley said the findings showed that to make our childcare system fairer for all children, Australia must fund services directly.
“In countries like Sweden and Norway, early learning is treated as a part of the public education system, and these findings show that it works incredibly well,” Mr Longley said.
“A higher share of low-income children and children living in remote parts of those countries attend early learning.
“This is in stark contrast with Australia, where due to exorbitant costs and limited access in the regions, many children from marginalised backgrounds miss out on early learning.
“Access to high-quality learning in the early years helps provide children with the best possible start to life, setting them up for lifelong success.
“An affordable and accessible early learning system also offers families greater flexibility and enables primary carers, who are predominantly women, to re-enter the workforce, should they choose to.
“This can be Australia’s reality, and we must make it happen.
“Thrive by Five is calling on all parliamentarians to support our draft bill, which would legislate the right of every child to access high-quality early learning and help build a truly universal early learning system in Australia.
“Just like early learning is a legislated right in Norway and Sweden, we too must enshrine it in law.
“We can build a childcare and early learning system where we fund services directly, instead of making parents do the hard work of managing their subsidies and dealing with Centrelink.
“Our current system creates too many barriers, and it has led to a situation where the children who would benefit the most from early learning are the least likely to receive it.
“We do not expect parents to jump through hoops just to be able to send their children to our nation’s great public schools, but we expect them to do so for early learning.
“Universal systems like our public school system, like superannuation, like Medicare, make us a fairer and more equal nation.
“There is no reason why we cannot build a universal childcare and early learning system, which would provide our youngest the best possible start to life.
“The Prime Minister has said he intends to do so, and there has never been a greater need for it.
“We must work towards building a truly universal early learning system in Australia, as a matter of urgent priority,” Mr Longley said.
[1] Victoria University – Mitchell Institute – International Childcare Deserts Report
