Okay, straight up, I have used Childcare services, on and off, for the past 13 years.
For one reason and one reason only.
I work.
So, my first instinct – when I heard about the proposed new childcare policy that the Abbott Government wants to implement, the one where they not only intend to limit available places to parents who don’t work but also stop the subsidisation – was to agree.
To say that, hell yes, if you aren’t at work, then you shouldn’t be given priority over working parents and yes, if you are lucky enough to snare a spot, you most definitely SHOULD pay full price for it.
But then I realised that an inflammatory issue was once again being used as a tool to divide and conquer us not only as parents, but as a nation.
And it’s time for that shit to stop.
I’m not saying that what I’m about to say here will make you all happy, in fact, I’m fairly confident that it won’t, but it is my hope that you will at least give it some consideration. That you, like I have done, will try and see it from the other person’s perspective.
Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that stay at home parents shouldn’t be able to access childcare, they most certainly should. I do believe however, that as it stands, the childcare system (and the accessibility and affordability of it) is fundamentally flawed.
And it has been for a very long time.