NSW: Treasury report says child care is accessible, affordable

AAP General News (Australia)
02-02-2007
NSW: Treasury report says child care is accessible, affordable

SYDNEY, Feb 2 AAP - A Federal Treasury report says childcare is accessible and affordable,
contradicting claims the sector is in crisis.

The Treasury report says the supply of childcare places is keeping pace with demand.

It says the proportion of family income being soaked by childcare costs is not growing,
Fairfax reported.

The report, published today in the Treasury's Economic Roundup, has found no evidence
of an undersupply, despite reports of lengthy waiting lists and fees of more than $100
per day for places at inner-city Sydney long daycare centres.

The report found that reported shortages may be a function of consumer choice, not
an actual shortage of places.

"That is, some parents may be able to access childcare places, but not their preferred
type of childcare," the report said.

It said in some instances community care was preferred over corporate-provided care.

Care at the workplace was often preferred to care near the family home, the report said.

Professor of public economics at Sydney University Patricia Apps has disputed the findings
and said the paper had "totally distorted" the available figures.

AAP krc/ks

KEYWORD: CHILDCARE REPORT

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