HELPING OUT FARMERS
Not sure about other residents of the Illawarra, but we have a rainwater tank that we don't often use and it's got a substantial volume of water in it.
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Our farmers all around the Illawarra, Wollondilly, Southern Highlands and elsewhere are totally dry.
Is it possible we could band together as a community, share any rainwater we may not be using in our residential tanks and have it trucked to farmers who need it?
I can't stand idly by, watching our farmers slip through the cracks.
David Bourke, Farmborough Heights
SUPPORTING FAMILIES
The scale of implementing the new $2.5 billion Child Care Subsidy cannot be underestimated (Shifting the Blame, Illawarra Mercury, July 27, 2018).
The Turnbull Government’s changes are the most significant reforms to the child care system in 40 years.
More than one million families made the switch to the new system before it began on July 2, which is a fantastic outcome, and we expect that nearly every family that needs to make the transition has now done so.
We have also successfully transitioned 6040 providers to the new system – more than 99.9% of eligible services across Australia - and there are just four left.
We know that child care is an important part of any household budget and the frustration of a small number of providers and families is understandable.
Due to the sheer scale of these changes, it’s inevitable that some teething issues will arise. I can assure Australians however, there’s a reward at the end of the tunnel, with a typical Australian family set to be better off by $1300 per child per year.
The Turnbull Government has been helping providers and families every step of the way with letters, text messages, forums for families and services, a call centre working extended hours and an extensive public information campaign because it’s incredibly important these reforms are rolled out as smoothly as possible. We’re making sure we get this right.
Some software providers experienced technical issues which resulted in some child care providers not initially receiving child care payments. However, I’m assured these issues have been fixed, including for the services quoted in your article, and these child care providers are receiving their payments.
For any families who have not yet transitioned to the new system, please visit www.education.gov.au/childcare and follow the links to myGov.
At the end of this, we will have a child care system that provides more support for more Australians that’s set to benefit around one million families.
Senator Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training
EDITOR’S NOTE: Reader contributed images of our beautiful region you are used to seeing here now run with the letters to the editor online on our website at illawarramercury.com.au.
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