Felicity Wilson
Shadow Minister for Early Education
Families across NSW have been let down by the Minns Labor Government’s decision to hike fees for after school care services with the news today of closures at 50 schools across NSW.
The Outside School Hours Council of Australia announced these closures as a direct result of the Minns Labor Government’s imposition of substantial cost increases across the sector.
Shadow Minister for Early Education, Felicity Wilson, said that this was entirely avoidable and accused the Minns Labor Government of ignoring repeated warnings from providers, families, and the NSW Opposition.
“We warned the Minister for Education and Early Learning that this reckless up to ten-fold fee increase could force services to shut their doors, and now thousands of families will be left scrambling to find care for their kids,” Ms Wilson said.
“With my own family relying on after school care, I know this will worry parents who will now have to look for alternative arrangements, or schools and P&Cs will be forced to fix a problem of the Minns Labor Government’s making.
“The Minister was asked a series of questions in Budget Estimates on how this fee hike came about and the impact it will have on families and services. Her only answer was to dismiss these concerns and now her actions will mean that, starting in just a few weeks, kids may be left without care.
“The Minns Labor Government has left thousands of families juggling even more. They must step up and work with affected schools and families to find alternative solutions.” Ms Wilson said.
In announcing the decision today, the Outside School Hours Council of Australia President Melinda Crole said: “We are calling on governments to step back and consider the combined impact of these decisions so that reforms strengthen the sector without undermining the viability of services that families rely on every day.”
Ms Wilson said this isn’t an unintended consequence.
“The Government was warned exactly what would happen and they ignored every red flag and now families are left dealing with the fallout.”
“NSW families shouldn’t bear the brunt of increased regulatory activity while other states are funding it though consolidated revenue,” Ms Wilson said.