Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP and the team at Mother Duck Child Care and Kindergarten Manly. Photo: Supplied.
FROM ROSS VASTA MP
Families in Bonner will benefit from greater child care support sooner, with the increased Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for multiple children brought forward from 7 March 2022, four months earlier than first expected.
The increased subsidies were due to come into effect on 11 July 2022, but the Government has been able to work with Commonwealth agencies and service providers to make necessary technical changes sooner.
From 7 March 2022, families with two or more children aged five years and under in care will have their CCS rate increased by 30 percentage points for their second child and younger children, up to a maximum rate of 95 per cent.
A family earning $11,000 a year with two kids in care, four days a week, will be better off by $100 a week.
The $10,655 annual cap will also be scrapped on 10 December 2021 and applied retrospectively for the whole 2021-22 financial year, meaning families who hit the cap before the date will receive a refund on any excess fees paid.
There are around 1,700 families in Bonner that have two or more children in care and could benefit from the increased subsidy. More than half of eligible Australian families will receive the maximum 95 per cent subsidy.
Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the support would be targeted at those who need it most.
“We know child care costs can really add up when you have two, three or more children in care and this package will help those families by significantly reducing out-of-pocket costs for the second child and younger children,” Mr Vasta said.
“This will make a real difference in the lives of families in Bonner. The changes will also see this government’s total investment in child care grow to $11 billion a year they build on the Child Care Package we introduced in 2018 that is still keeping out-of-pocket costs low.”
