To increase the number of childcare places, the state government will hold a competitive tender, where the private sector will bid for funding, which will depend on operators increasing the number of affordable places available to families. An independent expert will be appointed to guide funding and identify the most needy parts of the state.
The government’s investment will be made through a new childcare and affordable and accessible economic participation fund, which is part of this month’s budget.
The model for the government shows that a middle-income Sydney family with a full-time child could save up to $ 3,900 a year with reforms due to increased availability of affordable care.
NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet said access to affordable childcare, especially in Sydney, was becoming increasingly difficult.
“We know that childcare places are scarce in some postal codes, which makes it difficult for parents to return to paid work when they want to. Improving daycare accessibility by investing in supply will provide practical assistance to families with young children, ”Perrottet said.
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“My government is focused on building a better future for our state by helping people pursue their hopes and aspirations. That is what this transformative policy will do.”
Kean said investing in daycare was the best way to improve women’s economic opportunities, increase female participation in the workforce, and close the gender pay gap.
“The costs of caring for children hinder women’s dreams across NSW because many women can only keep about 30 cents for every dollar they earn when they go back to work,” Kean said.
“The nursery should not be a postal code lottery. Improving the affordability and accessibility of daycare is a unique economic policy in a generation.
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“This investment, made in conjunction with Commonwealth daycare reforms, is expected to bring up to 95,000 women into the workforce or take longer hours, reducing the gender gap in the workforce to one. 14% in a decade. “
The Labor federal government pledged during the election campaign to raise the maximum childcare subsidy rate to 90% for families for the first dependent child and to increase the subsidy rates for each family with one child to care to earn less than $ 530,000 in family income.
NSW Women’s Minister Bronnie Taylor said government investment would increase the supply of childcare, focusing on increasing affordable childcare across the state.
“This one-generation scheme would mean that women will no longer have to choose between working or caring for their children,” Taylor said. “This package will help break the childcare drought by targeting areas with less access to affordable childcare, which is the biggest disincentive for parents to return to work.”
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