Sydney families have been rocked by 10 child care cost rises since the last election, adding up to a whopping 36 percent hike in costs in the last three years.

Federal Labor is calling on the Prime Minister to outline his plan to tackle the 36 percent hike in child care costs slapped on Sydney families since the last election.

New analysis of the June 2007 Australian Bureau of Statistics Consumer Price Index shows that Sydney families faced a massive 13 percent increase in child care costs in the last year alone (June 2006-07).

Federal Labor is determined to help reduce child care costs and increase the supply and quality of child care, if we’re elected to government.

Federal Labor will establish an Office of Work and Family in the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet to work with State Governments and child care providers and publish:


• local Sydney child care fees;


• child care vacancy data;


• breaches of child care quality standards; and


• parental reviews of child care.

“It is clear that John Howard has lost touch with working families, like those struggling to afford child care in my electorate of Grayndler”, said Mr Albanese.

“The Howard Government has failed to help families who are now under financial pressure from rising child care costs, mortgage repayments, grocery bills, and petrol prices”.

Despite these financial pressures John Howard recently claimed that working families “have never been better off”.

“Families deserve better than being told by a stale Federal Government that they’ve never been better off, and there is no child care crisis”.

“Families may well be earning more than they did a few years ago, but they know they are saving less and things feel tougher”, said Mr Albanese.

Federal Labor has already announced we will:


• Invest $450 million to give every Australian four-year old the right to fifteen hours of high quality preschool every week, delivered by a qualified teacher; and,


• Build up to 260 new child care centres, particularly in areas of real need and on primary school grounds where possible.

Source: ABS Consumer Price Index June 2007 Report


****ABS calculates its child care CPI after the Government’s Child Care Benefit is taken into account, and before the child care tax rebate.

NOTE: Sydney child care CPI fell during one quarter in the last 3 years – from 188.3 points in June 2005 to 186.5 points in September 2005. However, it increased in the subsequent December 2005 quarter to 188.7 points.