Early childhood education is an essential service that families rely on to study, to work and to pay the household bills. That’s how the minister introduced her bill last week. And I must say, I found myself agreeing profusely with that statement, as that is exactly why this legislation should be voted down.
Over three years ago, those opposite promised Australians that life would be cheaper under Labor and, in those three years: interest rates have increased a massive 12 times; energy bills, not down by $275 but up by $1,000; living standards for Australians have collapsed by almost nine per cent; 27,000 businesses have gone insolvent—the most ever; and a family with a typical mortgage has spent an additional $50,000 on their interest payments.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Let’s bring in Liberal frontbencher Angie Bell. Thanks for your time. Last time you were in office, Joe Hockey as Ambassador successfully lead the effort to carve out an exemption. Do you think we can get it done again this time?
ANGIE BELL:
Well, you’re right. Joe Hockey was an excellent Ambassador for the Coalition to the United States. This is a test for Ambassador Rudd and also for Anthony Albanese’s leadership. This is crunch time for the government, and let’s see if they can negotiate as well as the Coalition did when we were in government.
The Prime Minister promised Australia cheaper child care. He promised a pay rise for 200,000 educators by the end of the year. But just like all of his other promises, like no changes to superannuation, no changes to the stage 3 tax cuts and—who can forget?—cheaper power bills, he has failed to deliver for Australians. Under Labor, the cost of child care has risen by 22.3 per cent, and the latest inflation data shows that, since Labor’s changes to the child-care subsidy, out-of-pocket fees have skyrocketed by 12.7 per cent.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Welcome back to the program. Joining me now is the Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Angie Bell. Angie, big focus in your space this week. Jason Clare is talking about introducing or expediting the bill, which would remove the activity test for three days of child care for those that work or don’t work, study or don’t study, the activity test will essentially be gone. What’s your position on it, given the speed with which the government is acting on this?
The Mermaid Beach community called for an upgrade and, if elected, the Coalition will deliver. A Dutton-led Coalition government will continue the Coalition’s strong track record of delivering for the Gold Coast with funding secured to revamp the Mermaid Beach Bowls Club.
CRAIG REUCASSEL:
Well as you might remember, last week I spoke to Kirsten Drysdale as part of our misinformation segment. She was very angry. She’s on the committee of a small not for profit community child care center, and they were really struggling with getting access to the government’s pay rise for early childhood educators. Here’s how she explained the process.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Welcome back to the program. Let’s go live now to the Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Angie Bell. Angie, thanks for your time. We’ve played today this new campaign video by the Liberal Party talking about Peter Dutton, a former police officer. He worked part time in a butcher shop when he was a young man as well and lots of images of their him with his family. How important is it for the Coalition, for Mr Dutton himself, to explain to the Australian people who he is, I guess, to humanise him.
The Albanese Labor government should apologise to Australia’s early childhood education sector for lying about its pay rise promise, and making life harder for the educators. It has been revealed that 85% of the nation’s eligible educators have still not received a pay rise under Labor’s signature Worker Retention Payment.
Australians know that they’re worse off because of Labor’s bad policies. The consequences of Labor’s $137 billion spending spree is clear. The cost of living for families has increased by nearly 19 per cent. Living standards have collapsed by an unprecedented amount of nearly nine per cent.