FEDERAL Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce said families in the New England electorate have until 30 October to apply for the Australian Government’s new Nanny Pilot Programme, which will provide subsidised care for about 10,000 children around Australia over the next two years.

 

Mr Joyce said nurses, farmers, police, emergency service workers and other parents struggling to match their work hours with conventional childcare options should apply to participate in the Nanny Pilot Programme that begins on 1 January 2016.

 

“I know that families in the New England Electorate already use a nanny or an au pair because the hours available in the existing system do not meet their needs.  And for some rural and remote families there is no child care available at all,” he said.

 

Mr Joyce said extensive consultation, including the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into child care and early childhood learning in Australia, identified strong support amongst families for flexible care options like nannies. 

 

“The $246 million Nanny Pilot Programme is the first part of the Government’s Jobs for Families package. The results will help us develop future policy for child care provided in the family home.

 

“The Australian Government is investing almost $40 billion in child care over the next four years, including an extra $3.5 billion into the Jobs for Families package to make child care simpler, more affordable and more flexible for families.

 

“Our Jobs for Families child care package will encourage an estimated 240,000 families to increase their involvement in paid work, including almost 38,000 jobless families.

 

“Parents in the New England Electorate will be empowered to make the career choice that suits their family and feel encouraged to be part of the workforce that generates Australia’s prosperity,” MP Mr Joyce said.

 

Families are eligible for the Nanny Pilot Programme if both parents (or in the case of a sole parent family, the sole parent) work, train or study at least eight hours a fortnight, and at least one parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

 

Families can apply for the Nanny Pilot Programme at: www.dss.gov.au/nannypilot

 

Applications for service providers to deliver the Nanny Pilot Programme on behalf of the Australian Government opened on 10 September and close on 22 October 2015. 

 

Service providers will need to demonstrate their capacity to successfully deliver the pilot programme across a large region or a whole state or territory, and have at least two years’ experience in child care or community service delivery.