Ms FYLES - 2012-11-28
When Mitchell Street Child Care Centre claimed that fees would have to go up $5 per day you issued a press release saying the increases were not justified. Earlier this month you opened the Farrar Early Learning Centre. The Centre has just written to parents informing them that, due to increases in utiliies costs, their rates will go up from $75 per day, an increase of $4. Treasurer, do you now accept in the real world childcare costs will go up by around $4 to $5 per day as a result of your price hikes?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nightcliff for her question, which I might say is rather misleading. The tariff increases have not come into effect yet.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You have ruled out ‘misleading’ already in this question time. I ask the member to withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer you have the call but be careful with your language.
Mrs LAMBLEY: Thank you. The tariff increases have not come into effect yet. How on earth can you explain an increase of $4 in a letter that has been issued by a childcare centre?
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I have a letter in my hands that states the fees will go up $4 per day from 1 January thanks to the utilities rise. I seek leave to table the document.
Leave granted.
Mrs LAMBLEY: Going on the case that the Leader of the Opposition pushed forward to the media last week, a $5 increase would have meant a $72 000 increase in power bills for that childcare centre. If this childcare centre is saying there is a $4 per week increase then the figures just do not stack up. When you are talking about childcare centres, you have to keep in mind that the federal Labor government, endorsed by the former Northern Territory government, brought in a national quality framework for early childhood education and care which …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Mrs LAMBLEY: No, this is highly relevant if you just sit down and
Ms LAWRIE: The letter refers specifically to utilities costs. You might want to read the letter.
Mrs LAMBLEY: In the reforms brought in by the federal Labor government, the staff-to-child ratios have increased. The requirement to have a fully-skilled qualified teacher in every childcare centre needs an astronomical increase in the cost of every single childcare centre and early education centre throughout the Northern Territory.
When you are talking about childcare centres increasing their costs and passing on any increase in cost to parents, the consumer of their services, there is quite a risk that you are getting two things very confused. One, the increase in cost because of the national quality standards which have been put in place are putting an extra burden on families, on carers who have to use childcare centres, and also the increase in tariffs. I would argue that childcare centres need to separate these two issues if they are going to get into this debate. I cannot see how any childcare centre could justifiably say $4 a week extra is due to tariff increases.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nightcliff for her question, which I might say is rather misleading. The tariff increases have not come into effect yet.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You have ruled out ‘misleading’ already in this question time. I ask the member to withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer you have the call but be careful with your language.
Mrs LAMBLEY: Thank you. The tariff increases have not come into effect yet. How on earth can you explain an increase of $4 in a letter that has been issued by a childcare centre?
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I have a letter in my hands that states the fees will go up $4 per day from 1 January thanks to the utilities rise. I seek leave to table the document.
Leave granted.
Mrs LAMBLEY: Going on the case that the Leader of the Opposition pushed forward to the media last week, a $5 increase would have meant a $72 000 increase in power bills for that childcare centre. If this childcare centre is saying there is a $4 per week increase then the figures just do not stack up. When you are talking about childcare centres, you have to keep in mind that the federal Labor government, endorsed by the former Northern Territory government, brought in a national quality framework for early childhood education and care which …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Mrs LAMBLEY: No, this is highly relevant if you just sit down and
Ms LAWRIE: The letter refers specifically to utilities costs. You might want to read the letter.
Mrs LAMBLEY: In the reforms brought in by the federal Labor government, the staff-to-child ratios have increased. The requirement to have a fully-skilled qualified teacher in every childcare centre needs an astronomical increase in the cost of every single childcare centre and early education centre throughout the Northern Territory.
When you are talking about childcare centres increasing their costs and passing on any increase in cost to parents, the consumer of their services, there is quite a risk that you are getting two things very confused. One, the increase in cost because of the national quality standards which have been put in place are putting an extra burden on families, on carers who have to use childcare centres, and also the increase in tariffs. I would argue that childcare centres need to separate these two issues if they are going to get into this debate. I cannot see how any childcare centre could justifiably say $4 a week extra is due to tariff increases.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016