SNAICC recently submitted a response to the Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) on the Child Care Assistance Package. The submission focuses on how the proposed reforms to child care are likely to impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and services.
Reflecting the concerns of services across the country, SNAICC highlighted a number of specific issues, including:
- the requirement that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services transfer to a mainstream funding model.
- the Activity Test, which would reduce access to any child care subsidy from 24 hours to 12 hours per week where both parents don’t meet work, training or study requirements.
- the limited scope of the Community Child Care Fund, and the fact that a competitive tendering process will not support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services.
- the lack of provision within the package for new services.
SNAICC will continue to raise these concerns at a Federal Government level. More information on the Early Years Policy Reform is available on the SNAICC website.
