The Greens have called on the government to clarify their position on child care, after it sought to distance itself from reports yesterday which claimed Julia Gillard was set to commit $1.4 billion to raising the wages of the industry’s underpaid workers.
“We live in a country where child care professionals get paid less than the people who clean the centres in which they work,” Greens child care spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said today.
“If the government is serious about supporting the child care sector then it will heed the calls of United Voice, as the Greens do, and would commit to lifting the wages of the people who care for our children and back that commitment with the required funding.
“Too many carers are leaving the industry and parents are increasingly frustrated at the lack of flexible options and long waiting lists, but the Greens have policies that will help them.
“Our goal is to guarantee affordable, flexible and high quality child care for all Australian families and we know the best way to achieve that is to directly fund centers and boost spending so childcare workers are paid wages that reflect their important contribution to children’s early lives.
“The government needs to come out and tell Australian families whether they are serious about supporting the child care sector or not.”
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