THRIVE BY FIVE WELCOMES RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EQUALITY TASKFORCE
21 April 2023 – Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five initiative has welcomed recommendations provided by the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce (WEET) to the Federal Government ahead of the May Budget.
Key priorities outlined in the recommendations provided to the Federal Government by WEET include abolishing the Childcare Activity Test and investing in an interim pay rise for all early childhood educators [1].
Thrive by Five Director, Jay Weatherill said recommendations outlined by the task force boosted calls from the initiative to advocate for the establishment of a high-quality universal early learning system in Australia.
“WEET has provided the Federal Government with advice and recommendations that will go a long way in Improving the development and learning of many of Australia’s most vulnerable children.
“Abolishing the Childcare Activity Test alone will allow for close to 40,000 women to re-enter the economic workforce and inject over $4.5 billion into the Australian economy [2].
“The recommendation by the task force to abolish the Childcare Activity Test is also in-line with advice from the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, calling for the same [3].
“Advice to the Federal Government from experts across economic disciplines echoes these calls. It is time that the Government take this into account and scrap the Childcare Activity Test in the upcoming budget.
“Not only will this measure boost women’s workforce participation, it will also allow thousands of young children to access the benefits of high-quality early childhood education [2].
“To truly ensure that meaningful action is taken towards making early learning more accessible and affordable, the Government must abolish the childcare Activity Test,” he said.
Key priorities outlined in the recommendations provided to the Federal Government by WEET include:
1. Abolishing the Parents Next program
2. Abolishing the Childcare Activity Test
3. Funding an interim pay rise for all early childhood educators and aged care workers
Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five initiative has urged the Federal Government to incorporate these recommendations provided by the task force in next month’s budget.
