Services – more
child care places

To assist parents, the Government has committed an additional $266 million to child care over the next four years. This significantly increases the number of places available.

A boost to child care places

The Government is boosting child care through a $266 million package to assist parents in the transition from welfare to employment, education or training.

This package includes:

• 84,300 extra Outside School Hours Care places
• 2,500 extra Family Day Care places
• 1,000 extra In-Home Care places
• help for 52,000 families through Jobs, Education and Training Child Care fee assistance.

Jobs Education and Training Child Care assists low income families meet any ‘gap’ in child care fees. The additional funding will help ensure that child care costs are not a barrier for parents making the transition from welfare to work.

This substantial package builds on earlier Government commitments to child care including:

• the Child Care Tax Rebate, a 30 per cent rebate on out-of-pocket child care expenses costing $1 billion over four years
• 40,000 additional Outside School Hours Care places and 4,000 additional Family Day Care places in the 2004-05 Budget.

Child care places will be much higher than in 1996

10 2005-06 Budget