Minister for Education and Youth, Alan Tudge, says child care subsides have increased by 77 per cent since the Coalition took office. Verdict: Mr Tudge's claim is exaggerated.

This paper argues that Australia should invest in financial support for parental care time for all children, with options suited to both parents, for at least the first 12 months after birth, and for universal public childcare for all children.

Despite government subsidies, childcare is still a significant cost for many families. This paper reviews available data on expenditure and affordability, and presents new analysis of household expenditure data to understand how much Australian families are spending on early childhood education and care, as a...

This report examines the experience of the trades and shift-work segments of the workforce during COVID-19, and outlines a policy agenda that will provide support for these professions so that they remain an attractive career in future.

This paper outlines four policy areas that could provide tremendous potential for Australia to improve its economic development.

Many Australians – particularly women – suffered more than they needed to in the COVID recession because elements of the government response were inadequate or ill-directed. This report urges governments to inject more money into services sectors, childcare, and aged care, and to rewrite the...

This paper outlines a comparison of the impact on employment of child care expenditure and income tax cuts of an equivalent net cost to the budget. The paper argues that the clear superiority of childcare expenditure in stimulating economic activity reflects the concentration of the...

This paper makes the case for a "family stimulus" – a much-needed boost to the income of hard-hit families through the social security system and targeted investment in childcare to ensure the continued functioning of the sector. This will put cash directly into the hands...

Universal child benefits (UCBs) are regular, unconditional income transfers in the form of cash or tax transfers, which are paid to caregivers of children from the time of pregnancy or birth until the child’s 18th birthday. In this report, the authors call upon governments, donors...

In this report, the McKell Institute advocates for a universal Child Care Subsidy, and evaluates the Working Family Child Care Boost announced by Federal Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, in his budget reply speech of 8 October 2020.