URGENT: the top 10 things we want to tell the PM about child care (did we miss anything?)

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced a Productivity Commission inquiry into how Australia's child care system can be improved. He wants to meet the needs of modern families and is ready for child care reform.

So are we Tony, so are we...

The PM is asking parents to contribute to the inquiry. He's asking us all to tell him what we think of the current child care system. "Our child care system should be responsive to the needs of today's families and today's economy, not the five-day, 9am-5pm working week of last century,'' Mr Abbott said. Too right. But how?

We posed the question to you via our Facebook page and here's what you told us, in order of importance:

10 things the Prime Minister needs to know about child care:

1. It's too expensive

This is the biggest complaint by parents. Child care is too expensive for most modern families. Despite most Australian households being made up of two incomes, and despite the fact half of preschool fees already covered by the government, the costs is thousands of dollars more than primary school.

You said:

"Fees are too high - $84 !!" Bonnie Palmer

"Make it cheaper. It costs $140-$160 in Manly Sydney per day." Katie Hall

"So expensive. I know parents who send their kids to school as soon as possible because it is cheaper... So wrong especially when the child is not ready." Marina Makhlouf

"Make it more affordable! Paying $110 a day is outrageous , it's just like sending your child to an exclusive school." Melinda Carver

"That it costs less to send your kid to a catholic school 5 days a week which is a hell of a lot cheaper than sending your kid to daycare for 2 days a week! And at school they r receiving education, daycare is organized play!" Chelsea Bisoglio

"More costly than private school tuition." David Rogerson

"Preschool 9-3pm should be free to all children the year prior to school and should focus on school readiness. Parents needing long day care should pay a gap for extra hours that they require." Leila Smith

2. Pay workers more

Parents want child care workers to be paid more. As our children's first educators, it's important to keep good workers in the industry that is poorly paid. We want our children to receive the best care possible from workers who are being properly rewarded for their efforts.

You said:

"Better pay & conditions for educators so children can have continuity of care." Shannon Hill

"Pay educators professional wages= boosts to each local economy= sector being able to become more flexible (most are 12hrs)= training $$$$ saved= higher quality care= happier children and more productive parents who can focus well at work." Ali Bourbon

"More incentives for workers to actually stay in the field.. Most fees in centers do not go towards workers wages.
Ppl educate the most important things in the world and are lucky to get $20 an hour.. No wonder the field is going down hill."  Elise Julien

"Pay staff better and stop introducing stupid rules like not letting kids blow out bday candles etc." Tammy Gardiner

"I think it is crucial that pay and conditions improve if better educators are going to be attracted to the profession. Good quality care seems to be the exception not the rule unfortunately." Lucy Jane

"I'd like to see Tone wrangle a group of incontinent toddlers and preschoolers for a whole day and then tell Australia what he thinks carers are worth, wage-wise. And no, I'm not a carer or a teacher. Just a concerned bystander." Leanne Baxter

From half day to weekends to after hours care, parents want better flexibility to cover those who can't find typical 9-5 jobs. Many mums return to work part time and the nature of many of these jobs is working different shifts.

You said:

"Cheaper fees. Half days at centres if parents need only half day and not full days. Better working rights for carers. More free sick days. For staff and children." Samantha Fogg

"Night time care options for split shift or late shift workers. Availability, and cheaper for siblings." Bel Inda

"Long daycare hours for shift working parents.. not everyone finishes work at 5pm..most of my shifts are 230pm-1100pm..not fussed on CCR just being able to cover my shifts..would eliminate having to pay a family daycare mum plus long day care centre." Shannon Seege

"Make it easier to work flexible hours even you have a family, and pay more! I can get better money stacking groceries on shelves and that's disgusting with all the qualifications I've got - diploma, anaphylaxis, first aid, food handling, asthma." Allysha Richardson

4. More places!

It's one thing to find a job, it's another to try and find a place for your child when you need it, where you need it. Around Australia the story is the same...some areas are huge demand and scare places, others have plenty of spaces and not a lot of demand. It seems like the opposite of good business.

You said:

"Flexible availability of places throughout the year. With January/ February intakes at most centers it makes it difficult for parents returning to work mid year." Renee McCarthy

"More availability. I can't get my one year old in a centre." Katie Hall

"Stay at home parents shouldn't be able to access full time child care if they have no need for it. One day a week so you can shop/run errands etc is all you need. Leave the space for a person who works." Louise Lommerse

"Give working, single mothers higher priority for places." Lisa Phillips

"Create more available and affordable childcare/before and after school care." Blaza Nikolic

Many families who require greater flexibility of care employ nannies. Some are full time and many cover those after-school hours for parents who work a longer day. Shouldn't nannies be treated like any other paid child care? Yes they also perform domestic duties but at the end of the day they are only required for childcare purposes, so parents can work.

You said:

"Funding for nannies, if you could get the child rebate for nannies more parents could afford nannies. Nannies = quality childcare, they fit the parents needs not the parents fitting the center needs and they offer flexibility that centres don't." Belinda Macdonald

"Subsidise nannies as we provide high quality flexible care arrangements and would take the pressure off childcare centres." Tammy Gardiner

"Nannies should be funded similar to family daycare and should hold at least Certificate 3 and 4 in childcare services and first aid qualifications or better. This would enable 1-3 children in a family to be minded at home and not in institutional care and would allow flexible options at home for shift workers who may not have a 9-5 5 day working week." Pamela Spencer

6. Increase incentives for mums to stay home during first two years

Should parents who don't work have the same access to child care as working parents? How about longer maternity leave pay or extra incentives for mums to stay at home for those first two years? These are some of your suggestions about child care for babies.

You said:

"Take the babies out of the system and pay mums to stay home for 2 years. This gives more spaces to older kids who can handle day care better." Zoe Powell

"I'm not priority because I don't work yet I can't get work without daycare being available GAH!! offer mothers of babies 12 mths n under extra centrelink so they stay home with their babies." Bonnie Palmer

"If you are on the pension/dole by choice and stay at home all day then you are limited to one day per week only. Stay at home parents shouldn't be able to access full time child care if they have no need for it. One day a week so you can shop/run errands etc is all you need. Leave the space for a person who works." Louise Lommerse

"The family unit is falling apart. The government needs to find ways to make it possible for parents to stay home for longer to avoid this." Lucy Jane

7. Review rebates

Okay, so there are two rebates - the CCR and the with pays a 50% rebate to all families and isn't means tested. Then there is the additional CCB rebate which is means tested and is only paid to couples who earn less than $120,000. There are some strong opinions of the rebates system.

You said:

"The rebate hasn't changed in six years, but our daily fees in that time have risen from $63 to $88." Tracy Jamieson

"It would be nice if CCR was a bit more balanced for double income family's. Unless your a great earner there's not much incentive to return to the workforce." Katie Brooks

"The rebate is $7500 per year, therefore when your child is in full time child care that rebate is gone very quickly and you only get the child care benefit if you earn under a certain amount as it is means tested! Many of us don't have a choice as we don't have grandparents to rely on." Melinda Carver

"No means test for half payment!" Jenna De Luca

"Review CCB & increase funding for under 2's. Review CCR & remove the cap." Peta Pitcher

"Base the rebate on the Mother's earnings rather than joint regardless of if they are single or married." Rebecca Todd

"Child care refund-out of pocket costs refunded. Or Childcare benefit, means tested paid directly to provider, parent has reduced fee remaining." Ali Bourbon

8. More help for single parents

Should single parents be subjected to the same rules as couples? When it comes to means testing and the possibility of finding work, it must be quite a struggle to cope with on your own.

You said:

"Give working, single mothers higher priority for places." Lisa Phillips

"As a single mum with a 6,7 and 8 year old in a regional area, it is almost impossible for me to find suitable employment because of a lack of after school/holiday care in my area. If the government are hellbent on cracking down on welfare payments and getting single parents back into the workforce, they need to be proactive in ensuring they have the appropriate means to do so." Belinda Cairns

"I am receiving the Sole Parents Pension, for which I am very grateful. However, I went to book my son into full time care so I can do the teaching masters and teach, thus getting off benefits. Centrelink tells me I will get 100% CCB, but because the course I am studying is a Masters degree I do not qualify fir JETS funding. This means my childcare will cost $150 a week. That doesn't sound like much, but it is when that's a quarter of the money you and your three kids have to live off each week. With JETS it's $1 per day. Why don't I qualify for JETS? Because Masters degrees are considered "extra" education and therefore excluded from the JETS funding. You cannot teach in NSW High School without a Masters of Teaching, but I can't get the JETS funding because it's extra education. I can't afford to pay a quarter of what I get each week on childcare. If I do that we don't eat. Plain and simple. So I am stuck on benefits." Stephanie Rogers

We all want good, affordable, quality care and we want interested, engaged and qualified staff caring for our children. Many Australian parents expressed concern at staff training levels. They want higher education for carers and continued education.

You said:

"Nannies should be funded similar to family daycare and should hold at least Certificate 3 and 4 in childcare services and first aid qualifications or better. This would enable 1-3 children in a family to be minded at home and not in institutional care and would allow flexible options at home for shift workers who may not have a 9-5 5 day working week." Pamela Spencer

"Stop these training organizations handing out qualifications after 10weeks of half assed study and no placements.
This will fill the field with more qualified and committed staff who will work more flexible hours to care for and educate children. Also, more incentives for workers to actually stay in the field.. Most fees in centers do not go towards workers wages. Ppl educate the most important things in the world and are lucky to get $20 an hour.. No wonder the field is going down hill." Elise Julien

"Allow some unqualified staff on the floor - attitude CAN be better than aptitude, but it needs to be balanced." Peta Pitcher

10. Free sick days and reduced fees for siblings

Really? $1 per minute we are late to pick up our kids? What about when they fall ill? Should it really cost us anywhere from $60 - $110 even though our child was sick and didn't attend? And what about siblings. Once you weigh up the cost of two, three and four children in child care and school, it all starts adding up.

You said:

"More free sick days. For staff and children." Samantha Fogg

"Availability, and cheaper for siblings." Bel Inda

"More places! And higher rebates for second and subsequent children or the cost becomes prohibitive." Clare Barrett

So are your complaints and feedback covered by those 10 points? Which issue on this list is your biggest gripe? Anything we forgot to include?