Call for abolition or revamping of the NCAC

14/11/93

Community Development Minister Roger Nicholls has called on the Federal Minister for Family Services, Senator Rosemary Crowley, to abolish the National Childcare Accreditation Council or significantly alter its approach to child care.

Mr Nicholls, who is also Minister for the Family, revealed today that he had written to Senator Crowley to tell her that he believed the council's proposed requirements for Child Care Centres were confusing and dictatorial.

"I think that the council itself should be abolished, but if this does not happen there should be a re-think about the things it wants to impose on parents and child care centres," Mr Nicholls said.

"At the very least, the Government should remove the element of compulsion," he said.

The legislation to establish the council and to create the authority to withhold payments from parents who choose child care centres which do not comply with the council's judgements is due to be debated in the Senate this month.

Mr Nicholls told Senator Crowley that the four main reasons for opposing the council and its program were:

1.      It is wrong to attach child care payments to a set of conditions about how children are to be raised.

2.      It is wrong for government to specify the principles under which children are to be raised, regardless of child care payments.

3.      Many of the beliefs and behaviours specified in the council's handbook would be regarded by many parents and child care professionals as variously unwise, inappropriate, unacceptable or plain wrong.

4.      The handbook is fundamentally dishonest within its own standards.

"This is not a debate about who wants the best standards for child care," Mr Nicholls said.

"It is about the Federal Government's authority to impose its beliefs on Australian parents.

"What is being proposed is no different from the Federal Government telling parents at home that they must abide by the council's principles or be deprived of their family support payments."

Media contacts:  Roger Nicholls 535 4049 or Hugh Ryan 341 2716