Maitland families will be eager to hear about the federal government’s childcare measures in tonight’s budget that will help return parents to the workforce.
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Families that earn up to $65,000 would be reimbursed 85 per cent of childcare costs or up to $11.55 an hour per child (whichever is lower).
However, mum’s who receive employer-funded paid parental leave could lose more than $11,000 in government payments.
“The measures in childcare we’re taking will make it more equitable and fair and will get more people back into work,” Paterson MP Bob Baldwin said.
“What we’re trying to do is live within our means.”
The government has proposed to save $2.4 billion over four years from adjustments to the part pensions of some self-funded retirees.
Mr Baldwin said measures like these were designed to return the budget to surplus.
“We didn’t cause this mess, but we’re trying hard to address it,” he said.
“We can’t have an attitude of ‘we’ll spend it now and our great-grandkids will pay it off’.”
Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon said the proposed measures appeared fairer than last year’s budget.
“I’m just hopeful they [the federal government] don’t make the mistakes of last year,” he said.
Mr Fitzgibbon said the government could do more and had overstated any deficit.
“I want the government to be honest about the economic outlook,” he said.
“They’re talking down the economy at the cost of local jobs.”
