Key Points
Rebecca White and Labor will reduce the cost of living for parents and families.
We will do this by making it easier to afford the everyday costs parents face. Hardworking Tasmanians are doing it really tough with the cost of living. Making sure kids don’t miss out is a top priority for Labor.
Labor’s plan to help parents and families will:
- Support parents with the cost of kids’ sport
- Expand before and after school care to 10 new locations
- Double childcare support for parents who study at TAFE
- Allow all parents to pay school fees quarterly or by direct debit, rather than all up front
- Provide extra support for school excursions
Why we need it
Tasmanians are worried about the rising cost of living. After 10 years of a Liberal government it's only getting worse and worse.
With so many hardworking Tasmanians struggling to afford the basics, making sure kids don’t miss out has to be a top priority.
“Making sure kids don’t miss out is a top priority for Labor”
Labor’s plan to help families with the cost of living will make sure all kids get to take part in activities like sport and school excursions.
We will help parents who want to take on extra hours at work or learn a new skill at TAFE by expanding options for childcare.
And we’ll make sure school fees don’t put extra strain on family budgets.
With hardworking Tasmanians doing it so tough with the cost of living, we need to be doing everything we can to help families make ends meet.
The details
Labor’s package to help parents and families with the cost of living has five parts.
1. Support parents with the cost of kids’ sport
Labor will expand the popular Ticket to Play program, which provides families with up to $200 to help with the cost of sport.
We will provide an additional $1 million of support, helping an additional 8,500 families with the cost of sport fees.
2. Expand outside school hours care to 10 new locations
Outside school hours care is a great option for parents of school-aged kids — but we know there’s simply not enough available.
Labor will expand outside school hours care to 10 new locations, by providing grants of up to $90,000 per service to assist with startup costs.
The exact location of the 10 services will be determined through an EOI process, but we will ensure the services are spread fairly across Tasmania.
3. Increase childcare support for parents who are studying at TAFE
Parents shouldn’t be held back from picking up new skills because of a lack of childcare.
Parents who gain new skills will get better jobs, earn more, and find it easier to make ends meet for their family.
That’s why we’ll double the childcare subsidies available for parents who are studying at TAFE, and do a better job of letting people know there is support available.
4. Allow parents to pay school fees quarterly or by direct debit
Every parent knows education is important — but that doesn’t mean school fees should put extra pressure on family budgets.
If you have two or three kids in school, having to find the money up front for school fees can be a real struggle.
Labor will ensure that every family has the option of paying school fees in quarterly installments or by direct debit — just like people can with other major bills like car rego or electricity.
5. Provide extra support for school excursions
Excursions are an important part of a child’s education — they get kids out of the classroom, help students to engage with learning and provide young people with new experiences.
But with costs rising, it’s getting harder for schools to run the programs they used to.
We’ll provide an extra $1 million to support excursion programs, so all Tasmanian kids can continue to receive a well-rounded and engaging education.