Federal Election

COMPARE WHAT THE MAJOR PARTIES ARE SAYING IN COMPARISON TO NACBCS POLICY DEMANDS

DOWNLOAD THE NACBCS 2007 ELECTION SCORECARD TODAY!

The NACBCS Election Scorecard was finalised at the NACBCS conference on the 17th of November at which Shadow Minister for Families, Communities, Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation Jenny Macklin and Senator Kay Patterson representing the Coalition spoke about their respective party policies. NACBCS has ticked areas that directly relate to early childhood service policy.

Please distribute this material widely to assist voters in understanding what each party is offering community owned children's services as they head to the polls on November 24th.

The Federal Election has been announced for November 24th 2007 and NACBCS is demanding QUALITY CHILDREN'S SERVICES NOW! Download NACBCS Federal Election policy and lobby kit and start lobbying today!

Click here to find out How Can I Help? 

Closer to the election NACBCS will be developing a scorecard comparing the major party's policies with NACBCS demands - watch this space for more information!

NACBCS calls on all parties contesting the federal election to make a commitment to growing high quality, community owned, not-for-profit children's services as a key support for every child, parent, family and community in Australia.

NACBCS Demands:

1.   Growth of community building early childhood services

• Develop a planning system that supports the establishment of not-for-profit community owned children's services in every community.
• Establish a nationwide network of integrated child and family services hubs by providing $1.1B capital funding to ensure the availability of at least one not-for-profit community owned children's service for every community.
• Provide funding that ensures sustainability of services in rural and remote communities.

2.   High Quality Children's Services

• Ensure that every children's service has at least one staff member with a 3 year qualification in early childhood (LDC) or middle childhood (OSHC).
• Stop the current watering down of the quality assurance system for children's services.
• Strengthen the focus of Quality Assurance on best practice and continuous improvement, not minimum standards.
• Strengthen and actually implement sanctions for poor quality providers.

3.   Affordability for all Australian families

• Merge the dollars spent on the Child Care Tax Rebate with the Child Care Benefit (CCB) and change the formula to provide greater subsidies for families on low and middle incomes.

4.   Workforce Development

• Fund a workforce strategy for the children's services sector that addresses training needs, encourages the development of career pathways and addresses retention of experienced and qualified workers.

These demands build on NACBCS commitment to supporting community based children's services due to the belief that they:

• Empower individuals
• Connect people to each other and to services
• Are inclusive because they respond to the needs of the community for which they provide a service; and
• Offer integration with other community services, making them an important element of community infrastructure.

Community owned children's services offer higher quality children's services for Australian families. They are not based on generating personal profit and provide a benchmark for private operators in terms of both quality and price. Community based children's services are essential to the ongoing health and wellbeing of early years services in Australia.

The community sector has to call on the Australian Government make a commitment to retaining and developing community owned, not-for-profit children's services as a key support for children, parents, families and communities. NACBCS urges you to use the information provided in the lobby kit and download activities to show your support to community based children's services. Join NACBCS to demand quality children's services now!