It was shocking today to hear that members of this government were concerned about affordable child care potentially leading women to 'outsource parenting'. What year are we in? It is the year 2021 and we are hearing about ideas from the 1950s. Australian families do not need to be shamed by this government. They need support with the ridiculously expensive childcare costs, which have increased by 35 per cent in the eight long years this government has been in power. Here in Canberra we have some of the most expensive child care in the country. This is a really big issue for families and it's a really big issue for women, because the fact is it is they who bear most of that cost and decide how much they can work or if they can afford to increase their work hours or go back to work.

I think we need an Australia where both parents are better supported to make decisions about work and family, and affordable child care is central to that. Under Labor's policy 97 per cent of families would be better off. Under the Liberals' policy fewer families would be better off. In fact, 86 per cent of families would be better off under our policy than theirs. But with the division in the government's ranks, I wouldn't even trust them to deliver this policy. We've seen the Deputy Prime Minister change last week and the government tearing itself apart over net zero. What other antiquated, out-of-touch ideas are happening over there that are going to mean that families can't access child care?