NEW CHILDCARE COLLAPSE DEMANDS ACTION
The Member for Berowra, Philip Ruddock MP said today the Federal government must move quickly to reassure Australian parents and childcare industry workers that it has a long-term plan to ensure the future of childcare, following the collapse of CFK Child Care Centres in his electorate.
“Two CFK Child Care Centres are in my electorate one at Beecroft and the other at West Pennant Hills (along with three ABC Learning Centres as well),” Mr Ruddock said.
“The fact is that parents and staff need reassurance now on what the Government’s long-term plan is going to be. They need to see the contingency plan that for months the Minister has been promising so they can go into the New Year knowing what their child care options are.
“It is obvious from reports today that the financial situation regarding ABC Learning is both complex and dire. It is totally unrealistic to think that this can be all resolved in six weeks.”
“Now we have another child care provider going into receivership – it’s clear that the Government must let families know exactly how they intend to deal with this situation beyond December 31,” Philip Ruddock said.
“The collapse of CFK, which has been linked to ABC Learning, would create more uncertainty for local families.
“The situation with ABC Learning is also a concern. There were indications nine months ago that the company was in serious trouble - they ceased trading on the stock exchange in August but the Government did not set up a Taskforce to look at the situation until 24th September,” he said.