The Project viewers were left stunned when Senator David Leyonhjelm described childcare workers’ roles as “wiping noses and stopping the kids from killing each other” in an interview on Tuesday night.
The Liberal Democrat Senator made several comments that outraged and offended childcare workers in an interview on the Channel Ten show about the Federal Government’s new $3 billion childcare reform package.
Senator Leyonhjelm said he would not support the package without amendments, criticising the bill for not reducing subsidies to higher income families.
He then suggested a way to reduce the cost of childcare would be to cut back the required credentials of workers, adding that women didn’t need training to take care of children.
“Apart from the fact you want to make sure there aren’t any paedophiles involved, you have to have credentials these days to be a childcare worker,” Senator Leyonhjelm said.
“A lot of women, mostly women, used to look after kids in childcare centres.”
“And then they brought in this national quality framework and they had to go and get a ‘certificate three’ in childcare in order to continue the job they were doing – you know, wiping noses and stopping the kids from killing each other.”
Senator Leyonhjelm said “a lot of women just quit” because of the introduction of minimum qualifications.
"The ones who got certificate threes said, ‘OK, I want more pay now that I’m more qualified’. All we did was drive up the cost because of this credentialism."
The panel appeared stunned by his flippant description of childcare worker's role.
Seeking to clarify, co-host Peter Helliar told the senator he thought a lot of people in childcare might be offended by his remarks.
"This is a very tough job that they do," Helliar said.
Senator Leyonhjelm maintained that workers did not need the credentials, saying there were no improvements in standards when the minimum standard of training was introduced.
"Yes it is, but there are an awful lot of people who are very good at it, but they didn't need a sheet of paper to say they were very good at it," he said.
"I don't think we corrected any errors, any errors, any problems, any deficiencies adversely affecting the kids when we brought in that national quality framework."
Panellist Scott Dooley joked with the senator, asking if his vision for the future of childcare was a "bunch of 30 kids on a leash drinking out of a saucer while a grandpa watches?"
Senator Leyonhjelm said that any dropping of qualification wouldn't see "a reduction in childcare standards".
Following the interview, co-host Gorgi Coghlan commented that the senator's benchmark seemed to be, "'Make sure they’re not a paedophile and then everything from there is OK'."
Coghlan also pointed out that mums feel confident leaving their kids in care when they know they are in qualified hands and more workers wouldn't be attracted to the industry if they weren't valued.
A clip of the interview was viewed on Facebook more than 183,000 times, garnering 1300 responses, mostly of anger and disbelief.
"Disgraceful to say this man is an elected member of the state? What an attitude," wrote one Facebook user.
"This is really quite unbelievable, how can you possibly believe that studying a subject of childcare won't and can't improve the care given to children?" commented another.
One user pointed out how "critical" the first five years of a child life were to their development.
"It takes education - knowledge and skill to learn and understand key child developmental needs to ensure a child grows to their fullest potential. Sure we can have anyone wiping a nose or stopping children from killing each other but is this all that children deserve?" she wrote.
Meanwhile, others agreed with the senator.
"It's childcare. It's not school, it's not college. It's literally group babysitting, and that's all I want it to be. I agree with the Senator's position," one user wrote.
Top Comments
Hi, I think he has a point and it is a point that doesn't just apply to child care centres. Over regulation of so many areas is becoming a problem for so many sectors. I am a bookkeeper and have been one for 30 years but now, if I wish to work under contract have to have a Cert IV, be licenced, be insured and be a member of an association. I have worked for 30 years in our family business (electrical) and the paperwork that is now required in that industry drives us to despair - the problem is, I believe all this paper work makes all of these areas more dangerous. If you are so worried about making sure that all the paperwork is done correctly - due to the large fines that usually loom over your head if they are not done correctly, then you do the paperwork and rush the job - this is a disaster waiting to happen.
It means like some people have commented that child care workers are filling out the paperwork and not engaging with the kids, it means an electrician is so busy filling out his JSA and safety certificate and the client breathing down his neck wondering why he hasn't even tackled the job yet that he rushes and makes errors.
I know there certainly has to be some checks and balances but if we could trust the Cert III or Cert IV's and electrical licences that have been issued to people and that these people have been correctly deemed fit to carry out their tasks - then the paperwork should not be required. I believe it's all about covering our rear ends for litigation which is driven by insurance companies and a lot of people being employed to push paper around. However, in the current economic climate - if they started to remove some of the layers of regulation you might see unemployment escalate greatly.
Now we can all argue as to whose job is more important and who should be paid more - that argument is one no one will win. Personally I think all people are worth something, so trying to single out particular careers as more worthy than others is futile.
I have seen people commenting here that he should try a day in your shoes............. maybe the boot should also go on the other foot. I wouldn't want their job for all the tea in china - they are abused and criticized for having an opinion.
He is a grade a moron
I take my hat off to childcare workers
Not a job i could physically or mentally handle