- Caulfield Glen Eira Leader
- Jenny Ling
Parents’ rising anger
Council childcare will be costly affair
AN INCREASE in fees at councilrun childcare centres has angered a Caulfield North father. Tasman Tudor said he would have to find alternative childcare for his two young children after receiving a letter from Glen Eira Council about rising costs.
Tasman and Brigid Tudor (with Maddison and Jasper) are concerned over the rise of childcare costs.Under standard annual council increases effective this month, fees for three to five-year-olds will increase from $79 to $85 a day. For children aged up to three years of age, charges will rise from $85 to $91 a day.
And from next January, state government changes to child/staff ratios for under three-year-olds mean fees will increase a further $25 a day, from $91 to $116.
Ratios will change from one staff member for every five children to one for every four children in a bid to improve quality childcare.
Mr Tudor, whose two-year-old son is enrolled at Carnegie children’s centre, wants to enrol his one-year-old daughter next year for two days a week. ‘‘That’s $120 a week more,’’ Mr Tudor said. ‘‘The figures don’t add up as to why such an increase is justified.’’
Council spokesman Paul Burke said the rules ‘‘aim to improve quality care for children under three and require a substantially larger and more highly qualified workforce’’. ‘‘The consequence of these changes is that the cost to care for children under three is now significantly higher than caring for children in the three-to-five age group,’’ Mr Burke said.
Cr Neil Pilling said he was disappointed the council adopted the full price rise. ‘‘I understand the ratios have to change and there’s a need for a rise . . . but something less would have been a better outcome,’’ Cr Pilling said.
Glen Eira Debates 
July 19, 2011 at 7:48 AM
Too little too late indeed! Only this blog site noted the rise. There was no comment by the Leader when the budget first came out. No comment by any councillor when the budget was up for decision. No figures to justify any of these rises except the usual Burke subterfurge of the need for a “substantially larger” staff. Come off it! How many kids are there? How many extra staff are required to change the ratios from 1.5 to 1.4? How much extra will this cost Council?
The Leader also features the story on State Government cuts to “Take A Break” programs. This will cost council a measly $30,000 and Lipshutz is wringing his hands and crying wolf with the alleged statement that it’s a “disgrace” and that “It’s hard to imagine the strain families will be put under”. What a joke! What hypocrisy! So a rise of $155 per week isn’t a “disgrace”?
The real truth of the matter is that Glen Eira Council doesn’t give a damn and is doing everything it can to get out of any childcare enterprise that isn’t funded to a large extent by governments. This has clearly been the strategy for years and years.
What I find most reprehensible now though is the sudden public outcry by certain councillors. This should have been screamed from the rafters well before the budget was brought down. It should have been fully discussed in public at council and it should have made the Leader front page months ago. Our so called representatives do not represent their communities when they keep their mouths shut and adopt the Newton policy of secret deals and negotiations. They’ve got to learn that silence is consent. When it’s all done and dusted it’s too damn late for anything – except to remind residents of councillors’ continued failure.
July 19, 2011 at 11:04 AM
Your reading of the situation is probably very accurate. This steep increase in fees will force many parents into the arms of commercial providers, who would be mad to increase their charges to this extent. Parents will vote with their feet and find elsewhere to go, which is exactly what this administration is after.
A little while back there was a media release that no four year old would be missing out on a place in our kindergartens. What the release didn’t say is how many 3 year olds would be missing out as a result of this promise. The downsizing of three year old kindergartens started way back then. This is just the final nail in the coffin to ensure that Glen Eira gets rid of all its obligations to 3 year olds
July 19, 2011 at 8:21 AM
I don’t see where it is a function of the ratepayers to pay to look after other peoples children. That is a State or Federal responsibility. You should choose carefully where you live if you want heavily Council subsidised childcare. It is your choice. People like low rates. The Council reflects the community it serves. Lipshutz gets alot of votes.
July 19, 2011 at 8:51 AM
It’s a bit rich to state that the council “reflects the community it serves” since the community has never been asked how it wants its money spent. Even if it were to be asked, the chances of it being listened to are buckleys.
July 19, 2011 at 1:08 PM
Lipshutz gained over 30% of the votes in his ward. Those families put there trust in him. Representitive Government. Where is it written down that elected people have to ask the opinion of there constituents? The voters have their say at the next election. You don’t get a chance in between elections to have any input. That is how it works. Most people understand the program.
July 19, 2011 at 8:30 AM
Councillors need counselling. Glen Eira should hire a full time psychiatrist to help these bumbling idiots work out priorities that match community expectations. Get them to look into their hearts and souls and figure out if car parks and concrete are more important than kids.
July 19, 2011 at 1:28 PM
These are the figures from neighbouring council budgets –
Kingston: $78.75 July 2011 – December 2011
$84.30 per day from January 2012 – June 2012
Port Phillip – $89.90
Stonnington: $82.50 til December 2011 then $86.50 from 1st January.
Once again, Glen Eira is not only the odd man out, but so far out of kilter with neighbouring council increases, that residents need to question what’s really behind this.
July 19, 2011 at 3:50 PM
These comparative figures are incredible. It’s beyond belief that other councils can somehow manage to keep their rises within limits and Glen Eira sucks the blood out of every household and family it can. A jump of this scale is highway robbery. Even the budget only mentioned costs going up 25%. This increase is more than double that. Now we’ve got the ludicrous situation where at least one councillor is crying foul. Where were they before?
July 19, 2011 at 1:44 PM
I’ve checked the VEC website and there are some fascinating figures up there on the 2008 election. In the first place only 18,000 out of an eligible 30,000+ voted. That means that Lipshutz only got about 18% of the eligible vote. Hardly a ringing endorsement of confidence and trust, especially when you see that Penhalluriack, even on these figures got many more first preference votes. Also have to start thinking about how many votes Lipshutz has lost with his complicity in C60 and other voting decisions.
July 19, 2011 at 4:08 PM
FYI.
2008 Elections
Penhalluriak 6490
Lipshutz 5620
Whiteside 2029
Colin you must have been attending the Burke School of Spin to come up with 18%. Margins are normally calculated on the formal votes.
As far as C60 goes that will improve Liphutz’s votes.
July 19, 2011 at 6:03 PM
5 and a half thousand out of thirty is not 30%. Colin is dead set right.
July 19, 2011 at 7:36 PM
If you look at the VEC website you will see a graph trhat depicts Lipshuttz getting 30% of the counted votes. Maybe Colin can have a longer look or work it out this way. First divide the number of Lipshutz votes by the total number of formal votes then multipy the result by 100. I hope that this helps you.
July 19, 2011 at 7:03 PM
Lipshutz won’t be running for council again – not when he’s lined up a plum board role at the MRC.