Yahoo Finance Budget 2015: Government to spend extra $327 million on disadvantaged kids
The Federal Government will spend an extra $327 million on childcare services for disadvantaged or vulnerable families over the next four years.
Minister for Social Services Scott Morrison said the funding, which is part of the Coalition’s ‘Jobs for Families’ package, would be targeted towards children with disabilities, at risk of abuse or those from low-income families or facing financial risk.
In a statement, Morrison said current funding in this area was inadequate.
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Existing programmes that support disadvantaged and vulnerable families are complex, inefficient, poorly targeted and open to abuse,” he said.
Instead, the new system would ‘give disadvantaged and vulnerable families targeted child care support with greater choice’.
Morrison said several schemes would be wound down and replaced by the new Child Care Safety Net.
Three new programs, as well as a new scheme focused on getting families into work, will receive money from new and pre-existing funding.
Altogether the childcare subisidies will reach $869 million, although most of that money will be appropriated from current subsidies.
Morrison said that the funding for the new schemes would depend on savings measures currently stuck in the Senate.
"That is tied to Family Tax Benefit savings that were put forward in last year's budget," he told ABC.
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Breakdown of the three new programs:
July 2016: $409 million - Funding for more skilled staff and equipment to support children with special needs.
July 2017: $156 million – Funding to help kids at risk of serious abuse or neglect; support for families experiencing temporary financial difficulties; for families transitioning from income support to work and undertaking study or training.
July 2017, a $304 million – Funding for low income families in high cost child care areas to access services; funding for childcare services in low-viability markets - such as regional areas.