Federal Parliament is considering legislation which would guarantee three days a week of subsidised early education for all children from 2026.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said under the new laws, which replace the current activity test, more than 100,000 families would be entitled to more hours of subsidised care.
Minister Clare said families earning between $50,000 to $100,000 were also expected to save on average $1460 per year.
“This provides cost-of-living relief to families and helps ensure that children can access the benefits of high-quality early education and care,” he said.
Federal Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly said the current activity test, which determined the maximum number of hours of care than could be subsidised based on time spent by parents in a range of “recognised activities”, locked out the children who could most benefit from early childhood education and care.
“The 3 Day Guarantee is about making sure that every child no matter their background and no matter where they live, has access to the transformative benefits of early childhood education and care.”
