Australian Prime Minister Abbott nine days before Budget Night 2015

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

It is looking suspiciously like childcare subsidies are only guaranteed long enough to take the Abbott Government through the next federal election campaign and, those older Australians whose sole income is the age pension will still be (perhaps somewhat more creatively) diddled out of adequate annual pension rises.

Of course, being Abbott, the means-tested childcare-preschool subsidy will now be paid directly to the business operating the centre and comes with an activity test for the child's mother. Show us you are working/training/studying or your child misses out.

Extract from Joint Doorstop Interview, Jordan Springs, Western Sydney on 3 May 2015:

QUESTION:

Prime Minister, why is the funding for preschools only for the next two years?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well, we want to ensure that there is certainty going forward. Obviously, we have a federation reform whitepaper and that will look at the question of who is going to take primary responsibility for preschool going forward. The important thing, as far as this Government is concerned, is that every Australian four year old should have access to preschool and we are ensuring that for the next two years, that will be the case, and the difference between this Government and our predecessor is that our predecessor government made the commitment that everyone should have access – but it didn't make the money available. It wasn't in the contingency reserve. The money wasn't in the forward estimates. We have provided the money to ensure that every Australian four year old will continue to get a guarantee of access to preschool.

QUESTION:

In terms of changes to the childcare subsidies, why is the Government moving to give the subsidies to childcare providers and how will that make families better off?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well, what we want to do is to ensure that childcare is affordable and accessible. We want to have a better childcare system. We’ve made this commitment to the Australian people at the election. We said that, first of all, we'd have a Productivity Commission report and then we would put the appropriate policy in place to implement the recommendations of the Productivity Commission. Now, we've taken those recommendations. We've subjected them to pretty fair consultation and scrutiny and we'll have some very good announcements to make in the Budget which I think the Australian people will welcome.

QUESTION:

Why do parents earning over $250,000 still qualify for a subsidy under this plan?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well, I'm not going to get into the detail of what will be in our package, but I do want to say that it is important that childcare is seen not as welfare but as a way of strengthening our economy, because the more people we can get who are contributing, well, the better for everyone. The more people that we can have participating in the economy, if that's their choice, the better for everyone because, obviously, there's the fulfilment which comes from being able to combine work and family, and then there's the general strengthening of the economy that you get when you have as many people as possible in the workforce. So, I think it is a very good announcement that we'll be making soon and it is going to enhance the quality of our society as well as the strength of our economy.

QUESTION:

In terms of the pension, why you have abandoned those changes to the pension indexation?

PRIME MINISTER:

I’m not going to comment on what is just speculation. You wouldn't expect me to comment on pre-Budget speculation, except to say that I’m absolutely determined that the measures in this Budget will be responsible and fair. That's the thing about this Budget: I am absolutely convinced that on Budget night it will be seen as responsible, measured and fair. It is a Budget which is going to deliver jobs, growth and opportunity. It's a Budget which is going to make Australians feel more optimistic and confident about their future. We are a great country. We have fundamental strengths. Yes, our economy was damaged by six years of debt and deficit under Labor and in some respects it is a long hard road back, but we are well and truly embarked on the road back. Our country is coming back. Our economy is strengthening and I think people will be more confident and optimistic on Budget night.

* Photograph of Tony Abbott found at Google Images