ELL: 3 -UHug. 95 ( 3: 36 No 001 F ID 1,, C14
93/ 95
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, Tit E HON P J KEATING, MVl
EPAC TASK FORCE ON FUTURE CHILD CARE PROVISION IN
AUSTRALIA Today I have asked EPAC, the Economic Planning Advisory Commission, to establish
a task force to investigate and report on child care provision in Aus~ tralia.
Child care is cnicially important in Australia's economic and social development. It
influences decisions about participation in the workforce, it provides parents with the
opportunity to undertake education, training and other activities; and it gives children
broader experiences which help their social, physical and intellectual development,
Changing work patterns and family arrangements mean that a constructive and
forward-looking review for child-care provision is timely.
We need a child care program that delivers the services that Australian families need
while, at the same time, involving predictable Commonwealth outlays and appropriate
linkages of Commionwealth, State, community and private sector services. Child care
services are also an integral part of the Government's approach to building a highly
skilled and adaptable workforce, as demonstrated by our commitment to mect the
demand for work-related child care by the year 2001.
The Government has already made significant progress towards meeting these goals.
By the end of March 1995, there were 262,500 Commonwealth funded child care
places against a target of 300,000 places by 1996-97. The Minister for Family
Services, Senator Rosemary Crowley, is also overseeing the development of innovative
services, especially in rural areas, and the introduction of the Quality Improvement and
Accreditation System. Better coordinated and more flex~ ible child care services are
also on the agenda of the Council of Australian Governents.
The work of the EPAC task force will complement other work being undertaken. It
will have a mediumn to long-term foctis. While not ignoring current problems and
challenges, the aim will be to set directions for the futuire which will best suit
Australia's economic and social needs,
Given this focus, the EPAC task force will investigate and report on the prospective
demand for child care, best practice in the provision of child care, and the links
between the provision of child care and other children's and family services.
TEL: 31 9J. HU95 u: 36 No. 001 P 14
TJERNS OF REFERENCE
EPAC TASK FORCE ON FUTURE CHILD CARE PROVISION
Having regard to the Government's child care policy, including its commitment to incct
the demnand for work-rclated child care by 200 1, EPAC will establish a Task Force to
investigate and report on the prospective demand for child care, best practice in the
provision of child carec, and the links between the provision of child care and other
children's and family services.
For the purposes of the inquiry and report, the focus will be on the provision of paid
child care for children aged 12 years and under by persons other than the immediate
family of the child.
In reporting on these matters, the Trask Force will focus on:-
prospective devclopmnents in family formation, labour force participation and
job patcerns, and the implications of these and related developments for the
demand for child care;
best practice in the provision of child care in each of the sectors of famnily day
care, long day care, outside school hours care and occasional care as evidenced
by examples in both the community aild private sectors in Australia and
overseas; possible futurc structures and trends inl provision of child care and the impact
of government policies on availability, pricing and quality of various forms of
child care;,
medium to long-term goals and mechanisms for child care provision and for the
appropriate linkages of child care and children's services; and
the relationships between suppliers of child care services, families who use child
care services, budget holders in the sector and regulators, and desirable
changes to these inl the medium to long-term.
The Task Force is to have regard to findings of the Law Reform Commission Report
Child C'are for Kids, the Auditor-General's efficiency audit report Mind the Children,
and the Report of' the National Council for the International Year of the Family.
The Task Force is also to have regard to measures already taken by the
Commonwcalth in recent Budgets and by governments as part of the COAG reviewv of
WcomMUnity services provision.
The Task Force is to report to thc Government by the end of July 1996.
The Task Force's findings will be released by the Government and used inl the
Governent's subsequent discussions with the States and the community on this
subject.
TEL:
The report of the task force will therefore assist governments in planning to meet
demand for child care in the future. It will aid both governments and child care
pruvidcisL ill Udciasiiin mid iiii0vl'aitii tlv best and most efictient forms of child
care. It will address problems of coordination in delivery that too often confront users
of family and children's services.
The task force will comprise Patricia Faulkner ( Chair), Bruce Hartnett, Wendy
McCarthy AO, and Glenn Withers AU ( ex-oflicio). A small secretariat for the task
force will operate within EPAC. The terms of reference for the task force and
information on its members are attached.
The task force will release an issues paper and receive submissions up until the end of
February 1996. It will report its findings to the Government by July 1996.
CANBERRA August 1995 0 u. Hug. 95 0: 36 No. 001 P. 02/, 04
0 Glenn Withers AO, Director, EPAC ( ex officio)
TEL: 30. Ruy. 95 0: 36 No. 001 P. 04,' u4
EPAC TASK FORCE ON FUTURE CHILD CARE PROVISION
SUMMARY VITAE
Patricia Faulkner
Currently Director, KPMG Management Consulting Pty Ltd. Formerly Head,
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Victoria and senior executive in Victorian
Department of Labour ( Occupational Safety and Health) and Victorian Public
Service Board.
Brucc Hatlnett Currently Group Employee Relations Manager, NAB. Formerly ICI Corporate
Employee Relations Manager, in senior positions in Victorian Departments of
Industry Development, Tourism and Transport, and ACTU research officer and
advocate.
Wendy McCarthy AO
Currently Chair of the Australian Heritage Commission and President of Chief
Executive Women. Formerly Chief Executive of Price Brent and the Family
Planning Association, Deputy Chair of the ABC and General Manager
( Communications) for the Australian Bicentennial.