Buoyant Albanese plots next phase of Labor dynasty
Universal affordable childcare was identified by the prime minister during the recent federal election as the one reform he'd most want to be remembered for.
But the accusations levelled against Joshua Brown, whose 70 counts of alleged abuse, including child rape, have raised concerns that the rapid expansion of government subsidies into the sector has not been met with a commensurate increase in safety and scrutiny.
"Well, it reinforces why you need a stronger commonwealth role in childcare," Mr Albanese said when asked by AAP whether the case had changed his views on how his universal childcare ambition should be enacted.
Commentators have criticised the current model of handing subsidies to for-profit providers, arguing the incentive to cut costs and boost margins sacrifices standards and oversight.
When asked whether he envisaged the sector being run more like public schools, Mr Albanese said "we'll see how that evolves".
"I think it makes sense to have co-location of childcare centres wherever possible in schools. It is just a practical thing to be done.
"If you're starting again you would completely have co-location of child care.
"I know as a parent, we had a public school in our street but we had to send our son to a different school that was driving distance - a short drive - but the next nearest school, because they had after school care.
"That's something that people across the board feel as well - that convenience - and that's part of the productivity agenda."
But first, Education Minister Jason Clare will introduce legislation giving his department powers to conduct spot checks and pull funding from childcare centres deemed to be consistently failing safety and quality standards.
It's one of four priorities Mr Albanese identified for his first sitting fortnight back in parliament since his swingeing election win.
From Tuesday, the government will also push forward legislation cutting student debt by 20 per cent and enshrine penalty rates into law.
The fourth priority, Mr Albanese, said will be seeing Labor's 24 new members sworn in and ensuring they all participate fully towards the government's long term goals.
"I'm feeling very energised about parliament coming back and seeing the outcome of the election in real form," he said.
"You need to deliver for people what they need in order to then have the legitimacy to push forward on longer term changes."
The prime minister was feeling buoyant as he flew back from a successful six-day tour of China, where he balanced tensions over Chinese military build-up and a mutual desire to strengthen economic ties.
Amid coalition criticism that he had failed to deliver enough tangible outcomes, Mr Albanese hit back that they didn't understand how patiently nurturing the relationship would pay dividends in the long-term.
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor's clumsy comments that Australia should be "prepared to act" alongside the US in conflict with China over Taiwan broke with the bipartisan "One China" policy in support of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, Mr Albanese said.
His eye is on a Labor dynasty to carve out a positive future for Australia in a challenging region.
"One of the things we're very determined to do is to have long-term Labor government in Australia so that we can implement the long-term changes that Australia needs.
"The world is changing fast and you can either shape that change or it will shape you."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed a greater role for the government in childcare as he prepares to push through legislation tightening up the sector following horrifying allegations of child abuse at Melbourne early learning centres.
Universal affordable childcare was identified by the prime minister during the recent federal election as the one reform he'd most want to be remembered for.
But the accusations levelled against Joshua Brown, whose 70 counts of alleged abuse, including child rape, have raised concerns that the rapid expansion of government subsidies into the sector has not been met with a commensurate increase in safety and scrutiny.
"Well, it reinforces why you need a stronger commonwealth role in childcare," Mr Albanese said when asked by AAP whether the case had changed his views on how his universal childcare ambition should be enacted.
Commentators have criticised the current model of handing subsidies to for-profit providers, arguing the incentive to cut costs and boost margins sacrifices standards and oversight.
When asked whether he envisaged the sector being run more like public schools, Mr Albanese said "we'll see how that evolves".
"I think it makes sense to have co-location of childcare centres wherever possible in schools. It is just a practical thing to be done.
"If you're starting again you would completely have co-location of child care.
"I know as a parent, we had a public school in our street but we had to send our son to a different school that was driving distance - a short drive - but the next nearest school, because they had after school care.
"That's something that people across the board feel as well - that convenience - and that's part of the productivity agenda."
But first, Education Minister Jason Clare will introduce legislation giving his department powers to conduct spot checks and pull funding from childcare centres deemed to be consistently failing safety and quality standards.
It's one of four priorities Mr Albanese identified for his first sitting fortnight back in parliament since his swingeing election win.
From Tuesday, the government will also push forward legislation cutting student debt by 20 per cent and enshrine penalty rates into law.
The fourth priority, Mr Albanese, said will be seeing Labor's 24 new members sworn in and ensuring they all participate fully towards the government's long term goals.
"I'm feeling very energised about parliament coming back and seeing the outcome of the election in real form," he said.
"You need to deliver for people what they need in order to then have the legitimacy to push forward on longer term changes."
The prime minister was feeling buoyant as he flew back from a successful six-day tour of China, where he balanced tensions over Chinese military build-up and a mutual desire to strengthen economic ties.
Amid coalition criticism that he had failed to deliver enough tangible outcomes, Mr Albanese hit back that they didn't understand how patiently nurturing the relationship would pay dividends in the long-term.
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor's clumsy comments that Australia should be "prepared to act" alongside the US in conflict with China over Taiwan broke with the bipartisan "One China" policy in support of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, Mr Albanese said.
His eye is on a Labor dynasty to carve out a positive future for Australia in a challenging region.
"One of the things we're very determined to do is to have long-term Labor government in Australia so that we can implement the long-term changes that Australia needs.
"The world is changing fast and you can either shape that change or it will shape you."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed a greater role for the government in childcare as he prepares to push through legislation tightening up the sector following horrifying allegations of child abuse at Melbourne early learning centres.
Universal affordable childcare was identified by the prime minister during the recent federal election as the one reform he'd most want to be remembered for.
But the accusations levelled against Joshua Brown, whose 70 counts of alleged abuse, including child rape, have raised concerns that the rapid expansion of government subsidies into the sector has not been met with a commensurate increase in safety and scrutiny.
"Well, it reinforces why you need a stronger commonwealth role in childcare," Mr Albanese said when asked by AAP whether the case had changed his views on how his universal childcare ambition should be enacted.
Commentators have criticised the current model of handing subsidies to for-profit providers, arguing the incentive to cut costs and boost margins sacrifices standards and oversight.
When asked whether he envisaged the sector being run more like public schools, Mr Albanese said "we'll see how that evolves".
"I think it makes sense to have co-location of childcare centres wherever possible in schools. It is just a practical thing to be done.
"If you're starting again you would completely have co-location of child care.
"I know as a parent, we had a public school in our street but we had to send our son to a different school that was driving distance - a short drive - but the next nearest school, because they had after school care.
"That's something that people across the board feel as well - that convenience - and that's part of the productivity agenda."
But first, Education Minister Jason Clare will introduce legislation giving his department powers to conduct spot checks and pull funding from childcare centres deemed to be consistently failing safety and quality standards.
It's one of four priorities Mr Albanese identified for his first sitting fortnight back in parliament since his swingeing election win.
From Tuesday, the government will also push forward legislation cutting student debt by 20 per cent and enshrine penalty rates into law.
The fourth priority, Mr Albanese, said will be seeing Labor's 24 new members sworn in and ensuring they all participate fully towards the government's long term goals.
"I'm feeling very energised about parliament coming back and seeing the outcome of the election in real form," he said.
"You need to deliver for people what they need in order to then have the legitimacy to push forward on longer term changes."
The prime minister was feeling buoyant as he flew back from a successful six-day tour of China, where he balanced tensions over Chinese military build-up and a mutual desire to strengthen economic ties.
Amid coalition criticism that he had failed to deliver enough tangible outcomes, Mr Albanese hit back that they didn't understand how patiently nurturing the relationship would pay dividends in the long-term.
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor's clumsy comments that Australia should be "prepared to act" alongside the US in conflict with China over Taiwan broke with the bipartisan "One China" policy in support of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, Mr Albanese said.
His eye is on a Labor dynasty to carve out a positive future for Australia in a challenging region.
"One of the things we're very determined to do is to have long-term Labor government in Australia so that we can implement the long-term changes that Australia needs.
"The world is changing fast and you can either shape that change or it will shape you."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed a greater role for the government in childcare as he prepares to push through legislation tightening up the sector following horrifying allegations of child abuse at Melbourne early learning centres.
Universal affordable childcare was identified by the prime minister during the recent federal election as the one reform he'd most want to be remembered for.
But the accusations levelled against Joshua Brown, whose 70 counts of alleged abuse, including child rape, have raised concerns that the rapid expansion of government subsidies into the sector has not been met with a commensurate increase in safety and scrutiny.
"Well, it reinforces why you need a stronger commonwealth role in childcare," Mr Albanese said when asked by AAP whether the case had changed his views on how his universal childcare ambition should be enacted.
Commentators have criticised the current model of handing subsidies to for-profit providers, arguing the incentive to cut costs and boost margins sacrifices standards and oversight.
When asked whether he envisaged the sector being run more like public schools, Mr Albanese said "we'll see how that evolves".
"I think it makes sense to have co-location of childcare centres wherever possible in schools. It is just a practical thing to be done.
"If you're starting again you would completely have co-location of child care.
"I know as a parent, we had a public school in our street but we had to send our son to a different school that was driving distance - a short drive - but the next nearest school, because they had after school care.
"That's something that people across the board feel as well - that convenience - and that's part of the productivity agenda."
But first, Education Minister Jason Clare will introduce legislation giving his department powers to conduct spot checks and pull funding from childcare centres deemed to be consistently failing safety and quality standards.
It's one of four priorities Mr Albanese identified for his first sitting fortnight back in parliament since his swingeing election win.
From Tuesday, the government will also push forward legislation cutting student debt by 20 per cent and enshrine penalty rates into law.
The fourth priority, Mr Albanese, said will be seeing Labor's 24 new members sworn in and ensuring they all participate fully towards the government's long term goals.
"I'm feeling very energised about parliament coming back and seeing the outcome of the election in real form," he said.
"You need to deliver for people what they need in order to then have the legitimacy to push forward on longer term changes."
The prime minister was feeling buoyant as he flew back from a successful six-day tour of China, where he balanced tensions over Chinese military build-up and a mutual desire to strengthen economic ties.
Amid coalition criticism that he had failed to deliver enough tangible outcomes, Mr Albanese hit back that they didn't understand how patiently nurturing the relationship would pay dividends in the long-term.
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor's clumsy comments that Australia should be "prepared to act" alongside the US in conflict with China over Taiwan broke with the bipartisan "One China" policy in support of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, Mr Albanese said.
His eye is on a Labor dynasty to carve out a positive future for Australia in a challenging region.
"One of the things we're very determined to do is to have long-term Labor government in Australia so that we can implement the long-term changes that Australia needs.
"The world is changing fast and you can either shape that change or it will shape you."
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The childcare subsidy is predicted to exceed $16.2 billion in 2025/26 and helps families manage childcare costs but access and the amount depend on specific eligibility criteria. Yet services such as BubbaDesk and CoWork Creche, which combine co-working spaces with flexible childcare, are not supported by the subsidy. While the price per day is based on the average of local daycare centres, the lack of subsidy means many parents cannot afford to use the service. "The demand is huge as traditional daycare doesn't always fit with people's needs," BubbaDesk founder Lauren Perrett said. "When you become a parent, you wonder why close-proximity care hasn't been built into traditional office spaces - it's a no-brainer. "Parents are delaying their return to work and considering not returning at all because they don't feel their kids are safe in out-of-home care and the instinct is to keep our babies close." 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"It would (also) begin to recognise in a tangible way the value of informal care and the unpaid labour that holds up our economy and our communities." A push to expand Australia's childcare subsidy to include more care options has the support of parents, advocates and politicians as the government remains focused on improving standards at existing centres. A bill empowering authorities to strip funding from childcare operators who fail to meet safety standards, among other measures, was this week fast-tracked during the first sitting of the 48th federal parliament. Operators who fall down on quality, safety and compliance standards could be cut out of subsidies, which typically cover a large proportion of parents' fees, and also blocked from opening new centres. Education Minister Jason Clare says he doesn't want to see funding removed and that the legislation should more compel providers to improve standards in the wake of recent abuse cases. The crackdown is part of the government's promise to guarantee universal access to early education and while welcomed by parents and advocates, there are also calls for a national early-childhood commission to ensure consistent oversight and accountability. Advocacy group For Parents has gone a step further, launching a petition calling on the government to provide equitable support for families who choose alternatives to centre-based care. In an economy where most families need both parents to work, there should be more choice when it comes to childcare, says co-founder Cecelia Cobb. "This is about giving families more freedom because the way that the subsidy currently works is that centre-based childcare is the only option many can afford," she told AAP. "There is a huge potential for additional workplace participation, as lots of people delay going back to work until they can get into their preferred centre." The childcare subsidy is predicted to exceed $16.2 billion in 2025/26 and helps families manage childcare costs but access and the amount depend on specific eligibility criteria. Yet services such as BubbaDesk and CoWork Creche, which combine co-working spaces with flexible childcare, are not supported by the subsidy. While the price per day is based on the average of local daycare centres, the lack of subsidy means many parents cannot afford to use the service. "The demand is huge as traditional daycare doesn't always fit with people's needs," BubbaDesk founder Lauren Perrett said. "When you become a parent, you wonder why close-proximity care hasn't been built into traditional office spaces - it's a no-brainer. "Parents are delaying their return to work and considering not returning at all because they don't feel their kids are safe in out-of-home care and the instinct is to keep our babies close." Illawarra-based mum Jenna Bush placed her baby girl Grace on multiple childcare waitlists when she was born but received few placement offers. The one place she was offered and toured gave her the "ick" and she could not bring herself to enrol Grace there. Instead, she started using BubbaDesk as she was able to work remotely from the co-working space. "Being in close proximity and having that contact to her throughout the day gives me that peace of mind," she said. "But financially, even though I can claim some of the co-working part through tax, reducing that fortnightly payment would be really helpful if the subsidy was expanded." Liberal senator Maria Kovacic is among those backing the For Parents petition. She says it's not about "tearing down" formal childcare centres. "Expanding the subsidy in the way these families are calling for would not only deliver flexibility," she told parliament on Wednesday. "It would (also) begin to recognise in a tangible way the value of informal care and the unpaid labour that holds up our economy and our communities." A push to expand Australia's childcare subsidy to include more care options has the support of parents, advocates and politicians as the government remains focused on improving standards at existing centres. A bill empowering authorities to strip funding from childcare operators who fail to meet safety standards, among other measures, was this week fast-tracked during the first sitting of the 48th federal parliament. Operators who fall down on quality, safety and compliance standards could be cut out of subsidies, which typically cover a large proportion of parents' fees, and also blocked from opening new centres. Education Minister Jason Clare says he doesn't want to see funding removed and that the legislation should more compel providers to improve standards in the wake of recent abuse cases. The crackdown is part of the government's promise to guarantee universal access to early education and while welcomed by parents and advocates, there are also calls for a national early-childhood commission to ensure consistent oversight and accountability. Advocacy group For Parents has gone a step further, launching a petition calling on the government to provide equitable support for families who choose alternatives to centre-based care. In an economy where most families need both parents to work, there should be more choice when it comes to childcare, says co-founder Cecelia Cobb. "This is about giving families more freedom because the way that the subsidy currently works is that centre-based childcare is the only option many can afford," she told AAP. "There is a huge potential for additional workplace participation, as lots of people delay going back to work until they can get into their preferred centre." The childcare subsidy is predicted to exceed $16.2 billion in 2025/26 and helps families manage childcare costs but access and the amount depend on specific eligibility criteria. Yet services such as BubbaDesk and CoWork Creche, which combine co-working spaces with flexible childcare, are not supported by the subsidy. While the price per day is based on the average of local daycare centres, the lack of subsidy means many parents cannot afford to use the service. "The demand is huge as traditional daycare doesn't always fit with people's needs," BubbaDesk founder Lauren Perrett said. "When you become a parent, you wonder why close-proximity care hasn't been built into traditional office spaces - it's a no-brainer. "Parents are delaying their return to work and considering not returning at all because they don't feel their kids are safe in out-of-home care and the instinct is to keep our babies close." Illawarra-based mum Jenna Bush placed her baby girl Grace on multiple childcare waitlists when she was born but received few placement offers. The one place she was offered and toured gave her the "ick" and she could not bring herself to enrol Grace there. Instead, she started using BubbaDesk as she was able to work remotely from the co-working space. "Being in close proximity and having that contact to her throughout the day gives me that peace of mind," she said. "But financially, even though I can claim some of the co-working part through tax, reducing that fortnightly payment would be really helpful if the subsidy was expanded." Liberal senator Maria Kovacic is among those backing the For Parents petition. She says it's not about "tearing down" formal childcare centres. "Expanding the subsidy in the way these families are calling for would not only deliver flexibility," she told parliament on Wednesday. "It would (also) begin to recognise in a tangible way the value of informal care and the unpaid labour that holds up our economy and our communities." A push to expand Australia's childcare subsidy to include more care options has the support of parents, advocates and politicians as the government remains focused on improving standards at existing centres. A bill empowering authorities to strip funding from childcare operators who fail to meet safety standards, among other measures, was this week fast-tracked during the first sitting of the 48th federal parliament. Operators who fall down on quality, safety and compliance standards could be cut out of subsidies, which typically cover a large proportion of parents' fees, and also blocked from opening new centres. Education Minister Jason Clare says he doesn't want to see funding removed and that the legislation should more compel providers to improve standards in the wake of recent abuse cases. The crackdown is part of the government's promise to guarantee universal access to early education and while welcomed by parents and advocates, there are also calls for a national early-childhood commission to ensure consistent oversight and accountability. Advocacy group For Parents has gone a step further, launching a petition calling on the government to provide equitable support for families who choose alternatives to centre-based care. In an economy where most families need both parents to work, there should be more choice when it comes to childcare, says co-founder Cecelia Cobb. "This is about giving families more freedom because the way that the subsidy currently works is that centre-based childcare is the only option many can afford," she told AAP. "There is a huge potential for additional workplace participation, as lots of people delay going back to work until they can get into their preferred centre." The childcare subsidy is predicted to exceed $16.2 billion in 2025/26 and helps families manage childcare costs but access and the amount depend on specific eligibility criteria. Yet services such as BubbaDesk and CoWork Creche, which combine co-working spaces with flexible childcare, are not supported by the subsidy. While the price per day is based on the average of local daycare centres, the lack of subsidy means many parents cannot afford to use the service. "The demand is huge as traditional daycare doesn't always fit with people's needs," BubbaDesk founder Lauren Perrett said. "When you become a parent, you wonder why close-proximity care hasn't been built into traditional office spaces - it's a no-brainer. "Parents are delaying their return to work and considering not returning at all because they don't feel their kids are safe in out-of-home care and the instinct is to keep our babies close." Illawarra-based mum Jenna Bush placed her baby girl Grace on multiple childcare waitlists when she was born but received few placement offers. The one place she was offered and toured gave her the "ick" and she could not bring herself to enrol Grace there. Instead, she started using BubbaDesk as she was able to work remotely from the co-working space. "Being in close proximity and having that contact to her throughout the day gives me that peace of mind," she said. "But financially, even though I can claim some of the co-working part through tax, reducing that fortnightly payment would be really helpful if the subsidy was expanded." Liberal senator Maria Kovacic is among those backing the For Parents petition. She says it's not about "tearing down" formal childcare centres. "Expanding the subsidy in the way these families are calling for would not only deliver flexibility," she told parliament on Wednesday. "It would (also) begin to recognise in a tangible way the value of informal care and the unpaid labour that holds up our economy and our communities."
