Crackdown on dodgy family day care providers continues

The Turnbull Government has continued its crackdown on dodgy family day care providers with new information revealing another 53 services across Australia have been subject to serious enforcement action.

 

Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the net was closing on family day care providers looking to cheat the system.

 

“Those dodgy family day care providers who circumvent the rules no longer have anywhere to hide,” Minister Birmingham said.

 

“If you do the wrong thing we will catch you and the public will know about it.”

 

The Child Care Enforcement Action Register which was updated today shows compliance action by the Department of Education and Training between 1 October 2017 through to 31 December 2017 led to 53 providers having their access to Commonwealth Government subsidies cancelled or suspended.

 

The Register allows taxpayers and families to see the compliance track record of providers and is one of a suite of measures the Turnbull Government has introduced to crackdown on dodgy family day care providers.

 

Minister Birmingham said the Turnbull Government was investing record sums to support the hardest working Australian families to access quality care but would not tolerate those who seek to rip off the taxpayer with illegitimate claims.

 

“That’s why we’ve introduced new integrity measures and ramped up compliance checks to over 3800 per year,” Minister Birmingham said.

“It’s clear our action is weeding out those looking to take advantage of families and rip off taxpayers.

“Whilst we know the majority of family day care providers are legitimate and provide high quality care, those who break the rules will be caught and we will do everything in our power to shut you down.

“With our new child care package around the corner we are investing an additional $2.5 billion to help hardworking families and are determined to ensure that this extra support is not stolen by rorters and shonks.”

Estimates show that the combination of legislative measures addressing sharp practice and non-compliance as well as the department’s ongoing enforcement effort has stopped around $1.8 billion of taxpayer money going out the door to dodgy providers since the beginning of 2014.

 

The updated Enforcement Action Register is available at: www.education.gov.au/child-care-enforcement-action-register.