National childcare phone-in starts

Date: 01 September 2004

The LHMU Child Care Union is joining with the ACTU and other unions to host a childcare phone-in, starting today ( September 1), to gauge the views of childcare workers and the community about the major concerns affecting this industry.

The unions have consulted a wide range of community and child care activists about this project and invited their members to participate in the month long phone-in.

Why don't you get parents and co-workers to phone-in and provide details about the long waiting lists, rising fees, staffing shortages, low wages etc???

Phone-in flyer

Despite a recent small injection of funds by the Federal Budget childcare there are significant problems for families and workers that are not being captured in now out of date research on this important industry.

Key problems

- Incredibly long waiting lists for childcare - especially for the under two year olds in many locations;

- Big increases in childcare fees and worsening affordability for many families with no indication that the Federal Government is moving to address the inadequacy of the Childcare benefit program;

- Chronic staff shortages and recruitment problems for child care centres as a result of the poor wages paid to childcare workers. There is a lack of Government action on this issue despite a Taskforce report last year warning of a potential collapse of the childcare sector;

- Persistent questions as to a decline in the quality of care at some ( mainly private) centres owing to the high turnover of staff.

For further information

Contact:	Andrew Casey
Union:	Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union
Phone:	8204 7206
Fax:	92821 4480
Email:	andrewc@lhmu.org.au
WWW:	http://www.lhmu.org.au/

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