Parents call on Productivity Commission to extend childcare rebate to nannies

Updated

Parents are urging the Productivity Commission to consider extending the childcare rebate to cover nannies.

The Federal Government estimates there are 30,000 nannies caring for children in Australian homes, excluding au pairs.

Assistant Minister for Education Sussan Ley says she is concerned about estimates that as many as half of all nannies are working cash-in-hand.

"I'm always concerned about cash in hand," she said.

"Parents are resorting to informal arrangements because they can't afford or find regular childcare."

Nanny Kim Wall works through an agency on a fixed contract and looks after Jodi Gaylard's children, Matilda, 5, and Myles, 3.

She says nannies offer a different service than childcare centres.

"I think a nanny can offer almost parent replacement," she said.

"The kids get one-on-one attention. And I parent them like I did parent my own children."

Ms Gaylard says she pays $40,000 for a nanny three days a week.

She says it gives her the comfort she needs to focus on her work as a marketing consultant.

"Everyone in an ideal world wants to raise their kids themselves and be a big part of their lives," she said.

"When you really trust the person who's looking after your children it just gives you that peace of mind to continue on with your career."

No guarantee of income, 17-year nanny says

Rebecca Gaskin has worked as a nanny for 17 years and says the job can be tough.

She says she has often worked cash-in-hand without a guarantee of steady pay.

"Parents go travelling with their families, they don't need you," she said.

"You've got a whole lot of public holidays in a row, and when you're not working you're not covered for any of that."

Working mother Tracy Conlon says nannies would be even more popular if it was easier to get the childcare rebate to help pay some of the cost.

Ms Conlon and her husband juggle a blind and interior decorating business in Doreen, north of Melbourne, along with caring for their two boys, Jack, 3, and 18-month-old Max.

She says her hours are too variable for childcare and a nanny is financially out of reach.

"They are quite expensive, without the rebate," she said.

"It's not like we're earning millions of dollars that we can afford to pay for a nanny."

Ms Conlon says she has cut back her interior design work to two days a week to help look after her children.

"We need in-home care to give us more flexibility to allow me to work longer," she said.

A government estimate in 2012 put the cost of extending the rebate to cover nannies at almost $500 million a year.

Topics: child-care, parenting, family-and-children, work, community-and-society, australia

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