More than 500 child care providers will be removed from the Government’s Child Care Finder website under a Morrison Government crackdown on businesses that aren’t publicly reporting their fees.
The website helps parents make informed decisions about child care, by providing information on fees, services, availability and quality.
Publicly reporting fees is a condition of a business being approved to provide subsidised care under the Child Care Subsidy. Since 2018, fee reporting rates have increased from 50 per cent to about 94 per cent.
Minister for Education and Youth, Alan Tudge, said the action against 521 services around the country will ensure Australian families have full access to the information they need to make the best possible decision about child care.
“Choosing a child care centre is an important decision for parents and we want them to have all the information they need about fees, what is provided for those fees and whether their service is meeting quality standards,” Minister Tudge said.
“Most services do the right thing, but we would like to see all of them be transparent in their fees charged.”
The Government will launch an enhanced website next year, to make it easier for families to find detailed information about local services, including fees and vacancies.
Services in Victoria are not being included in this round of action due to the current COVID restrictions, but should ensure they meet their obligations to avoid future action.
Non-compliant providers can have their details returned to the Child Care Finder website by reporting fees for their services to the Government.
To see if your provider is listed and for information on fees, availability and services go to www.childcarefinder.gov.au.
