Childcare providers are "alarmed" at what free childcare will mean for their businesses, Helen Haines has told Parliament.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Indi MP on Wednesday welcomed free childcare for parents, but said in-home care and council-run programs common in regional areas needed a guarantee they would not miss out on government compensation.
"The Rural City of Wangaratta, Alpine and Murrindindi shires have all contacted me alarmed at the change," she said.
"This announcement throws their finances into disarray with fears that their revenue will halve and the staff forced onto Job Keeper."
Council staff are not eligible for the Job Keeper payment.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Education Minister Dan Tehan answered her in question time, saying the funding provided to childcare centres would be calibrated with the Job Keeper payment and urged anyone confused to get in touch via the government's help line.
He said the government had "overhauled the childcare sector to put fundamental underlying security into the sector".
Dr Haines also said the $1500 per fortnight Job Keeper payment was "a giant leap forward", but it did not go far enough for people like casuals who had spent less than 12 months in their jobs.
"In Indi, 20 per cent of workers are casuals - many of these people will miss out on this payment," she said.
"Many of those people who will miss out are the lifeblood of our hospitality and tourism sector: chefs, cleaners, wait staff, cellar doors workers.
"Some are artists, musicians, filmmakers, event planners."
Crossbench MPs failed to establish the two joint select committees they wanted to scrutinise the government's health and economic actions during the coronavirus pandemic, with Labor preferring to establish a Senate committee that would be chaired by one of its party members.
"I honestly believe this proposal is insufficient to the task at hand," Dr Haines said.
"The government cannot be expected to have all the answers to every issue in Australia, but unless they invite diverse voices into the room where they're making and scrutinising these decisions, they're setting themselves an impossible challenge."
