Report into Balancing Work and Family

December 2006

Business and Professional Women Australia (BPW Australia) are delighted with the Report presented by Bronwyn Bishop’s Committee on Balancing Work and Family. We have long been an advocate of improved childcare conditions for working women, this being a major focus for our organisation. If Australian women are to be productive in today’s workplace they require easily accessible, affordable childcare of high standard. With the current workplace laws forcing women into casual work across 7 days week, they are going to need a diversity of service levels at a reasonable cost. It is often not available outside standard business hours, and it is not reasonable now.

We totally support the removal of Fringe Benefits Tax from all childcare and have been conducting research and campaigning through BPW Sydney. We are in favour of choice for families and the Report encourages working parents to have a choice of receiving the Child Care benefit and Child Care Tax rebate, or to claim work-related child care costs as a tax deduction. This is great news from a Government Committee.

There are 19 recommendations in this report and it would be a pity if others are not given considerable airing and debate. Recommendations such as the freezing of HECS debt interest of second earners in couple families; In-home care (nannies) to be categorised as approved care, this attracting payments and tax concessions; a survey to be conducted to collect the necessary data to assess whether women are paid the same as men for doing work of equal value; a public campaign highlighting the benefits of family friendly arrangements. These are all very welcome recommendations, and we hope the Government will take them forward into policy.

Kay Morrison
President
BPW Australia