-A AUSTRALIA
PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA 21 MAY 1989
JOINT STATEMENT WITH THE HON. JOHN BANNON, MLA
PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Thousands more South Australian children will gain access to
child care under a new $ 10 million program announced today
by the Prime Minister and SA Premier John Bannon.
Families, particularly working parents who need quality care
for their children outside school hours, will have access to
twice the present number of places.
The package also provides a boost for parents not in the
workforce who seek occasional child care to give them short
term breaks from caring for their children.
It follows agreement for a new three-year child care program
by the Commonwealth and South Australian Governments.
" The package will build upon the solid foundation we have
already created to provide the best possible children's
services for South Australian families," Mr Hawke said
today.
The new program is against a backdrop of significant
increases in child care services since the election of the
Hawke Government. Nationally, the Federal Government has
created 68,000 new child care places since 1983. Of these,
more than 4,500 have been provided in South Australia.
The last Federal Budget launched a National Child Care
Strategy which will provide 30,000 additional places over
the next three years.
Under this Strategy, our agreement provides that, for South
Australia: OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS care places will be effectively
doubled, providing an extra 1,700 places for children
needing care and quality activities before or after
school. MORE CHILD CARE centres will be built in key areas of
need. Five child care centres, providing a total of 247
new places will be built. This will mean subsidised
long day child care centres will care for more than
6,300 South Australian children.
S FAMILY DAY CARE places will be boosted by 330 places to
provide a total State-wide coverage of care for some
5,500 children.
S PARENTS seeking short term breaks from their children
will gain greater access to occasional care, with 160
new places being provided. This program will provide
particular help to parents not in the workforce and will
focus on existing community facilities to ensure parents
have access to child care in their local neighbourhood.
The new package will involve capital works expenditure of
some $ 5 million and operational contributions by both
Governments totalling $ 5 million over the next three years.
The Federal Government will continue to provide fee relief
to enable low income and single parent families to use the
centres. Locations of the new child care services will be announced
following further discussions between the Commonwealth and
State Governments.