Watercooler: Child care funds make families dependent. Discuss.

Opposition MP says child care funding makes families dependent

Federal Liberal MP Jamie Briggs wrote in the Australian Financial Review that: “But what comes with these big-spending Labor governments is not just debt, higher taxes and more regulation; it’s a society that is more and more dependent on government and its handouts. Take, for example, childcare. Already the government spends nearly $4 billion a year in supporting parents to send children to care. This is driven in part by the need for an increasing number of families to rely on two incomes to pay a mortgage.” Mr Briggs made the point that the Government increased regulation – and costs – and then increased child care subsidies to match. “The expansion of government is creating a transfer payment dependency. Pensions, disability support, family tax benefits and childcare support, among others, create a cycle of dependency for millions of Australians. The dead hand of government with its Centrelink chequebook encourages many Australians to believe that there’s no other way of life than putting your hand out.” Minister for Early Childhood and Child Care Kate Ellis rebuffed him: “Parents deserve to have peace of mind knowing that their children are getting high quality care while they’re at work if they choose to return to the workforce after having children.That’s why we’ve introduced the National Quality Framework for child care. We want every parent to have access to the highest quality care for their kids.” What do you think?

Where are the labels for men on the ‘prowl’?

Opinion writer Hannah Betts has asked the question. What’s with all the labels for women who are looking for a bit of fun, or maybe even a relationship? “Another day, another degrading animal epithet slung in the direction of womankind. For one lesson of contemporary popular culture is that men get to be men, while women must take on the identity of various predatory felines.

We’ve had the cougar: an older woman seeking juvenile, male prey. Now we learn that society is being stalked by the puma: a single woman in pursuit of a mature partner with experience under his belt. Think public relations worker Amanda Sheppard, 29, who recently ensnared pop pensioner Bryan Ferry, 66.

The evidence comes from a poll by matchmaking website ThePicnicProject.com which indicates that, of the 5.5 million single women in Britain, more than 500,000 would prefer a divorced, older man to a single, younger model. Twelve per cent of women cited ”experience” as the main attraction. Eight per cent believed chaps who have been around the block will be sensitive to their needs. Seven per cent admired that they have shown commitment.”

She makes note of the male ‘silver fox’ in this case, but are there other names out there?

Dawn French loses 47kg, misses her old shape

Here’s a weight loss story you don’t hear very often. Comedian Dawn French has lost 47kg on her weight loss mission but says she kind of misses her old body. “I have a great fondness for that other body,” French said. “I knew it very well and I don’t know this one as well, not yet. I was never actually unhappy then so it’s not the case that I was miserable and I’m happy now. The fact is I’m still a fat woman, I’m still stones over my BMI index or whatever it’s called. I never even knew such a thing existed until people started telling me there is a weight you’re supposed to be.” The TV star said she was losing the weight for her own health.

Girl has six organs transplanted at same time

She’s the nine-year-old girl wonder from America who not only survived a ‘multi-visceral’ organ transplant, but did so with a bounce in her step. Alannah Shevenell suffered from an aggressive, cancerous tumour which had attacked her internal organs. When all other treatments failed, doctors removed her stomach, liver, pancreas, oesophagus, small intestine and spleen and replaced them with the organs of a recently deceased child of the same size and blood type. It is believed to be the first-ever transplant of an esophagus and the largest number of organs transplanted at one time in America’s New England.

New book helps parents deal with child sexual behaviours

Family Planning Queensland will launch a new book – Is this normal? Understanding your child’s sexual behaviour – today, to help parents navigate the often confusing sexual development of their child. It uses a traffic light system – green, yellow and red – to easily flag behaviours that are acceptable, should be watched or are problematic. According to child sexual abuse prevention expert for Family Planning Queensland (FPQ) and co-author Ms Holly Brennan OAM, sexuality is integral to a person’s life, from birth to death.

“Parents often feel overwhelmed by their children’s sexual behaviours and feelings, so understanding what’s considered normal can ease some of the worries of parenting, while helping to protect their children from harm. Most child sexual behaviours are perfectly normal, healthy and nothing to worry about. What’s most important is that your child knows that they can talk to you about their body and relationships and recognise that sexuality is a part of everyday life,” Ms Brennan said.

“Is This Normal? provides parents with a traffic lights framework to help them understand and appropriately respond to children’s sexual behaviours. It shares stories about everyday situations and offers concrete tools to support communication with children about their sexuality and relationships.”

Much of PM criticism is sexist

Greens leader Bob Brown has called most of the criticism the Prime Minister receives ‘sexist’ and blamed male media commentators for the bulk of it. “What I’ve picked up over the summer holidays is there is a big swing around from the average punter in favour of Julia Gillard,” he said. “She is getting a rough time and let me state this as others might not be quite so blatant. Quite a bit of the criticism is sexist and unfair and unrelenting and the Prime Minister needs a bit of a break from that and it is time she got that break and the Australian people are indicating she should have it. The degree of relentless criticism on this Prime Minister, coming from male commentators, it is probably all subconscious, is sexist and quite ridiculous at times.” The most recent public example was a question from Mike Willesee, the TV veteran returned to Channel 7, when he asked the PM: “Do you cry much?” Her response? No.

Retail growth worst since 1984

Retail sales in Australia grew by their weakest margin in 2011 at 2.4 per cent, the worst showing in 27 years. 2010 was only slightly better with growth of 2.5 per cent. It’s never been as bad, not since the Australian Bureau of Statistics began collecting the data in 1984. Fairfax reported: ‘‘The lethal mix of consumer caution, rise of online spending, worsening global economic conditions and weather woes led to a slump in retailing not witnessed since the 1980s,’’ said Bank of Melbourne chief economist Besa Deda. In December there was actually a 0.1 per cent fall which ran counter to predictions of a minor increase. The figures are likely to add weight to the case for a Reserve Bank of Australia rate cut today. Have you been feeling it?