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Sign the petition to Make Care Fair!

7th March 2011

DIAL-AN-ANGEL is proud to be working as part of an alliance called Make Care Fair in an attempt to obtain tax deductibility for in home childcare for all working families.

It is something we are passionate about. We know the difficulties and costs associated with organising childcare with after tax dollars.  We hear from clients every day how unfair it is that they cannot obtain any rebate or tax deduction for their in home care.

Long day care and child care centres cannot assist people who work shift work.  Additionally, one of the biggest issues for parents is before and after school care and during school vacations and when the children are sick and can't attend approved child care. Most importantly how do you care for children when you get four weeks holidays and they get twelve weeks? The current system does not work!

Despite the Federal Government's moves to strengthen maternity leave and benefits, Australian families remain worried about the affordability of childcare, saying they will vote for the party who offer tax breaks, the latest poll shows.

New research of 262 working women, commissioned by the online businesswomen's network group Sphinxx, found that children and careers fail to mix.

Key findings:

• 48% of respondents said childcare costs had hit their career, but not their partners (71.6%)
• 52% of respondents qualified for the rebate, but 92% still rate childcare costs as important or very important political/ election issue
• 86% would give their vote to the party with a tax-deductible policy on childcare 48% say cost of childcare has impacted upon career to date
• 62% say the cost of childcare has led to a reduction in their working hours
• 74% say it's difficult or very difficult to find available quality child care

Jen Dalitz, founder of Sphinxx and a company director, says the centenary for International Women's Day on March 8 puts the spotlight back women's participation rates in paid work, and why they suffer from existing childcare arrangements.

""It's crazy that you can deduct expenses for laptops, IPads and cars, but receive no tax breaks for family daycare or in-home care, especially in emergencies," she adds.

"In 2011, we want to see a change because we still only have 3% of women in CEO roles - that's a terrible return for the investment in the education for women."

We see huge demand for permanent part-time in home professional childcare on the basis of 15 hours or more a week, as well as after-school and before-school care. But many clients feel it's grossly unfair that they cannot obtain the childcare rebate for in-home care as they do for registered day care or child care centres. If we can achieve the child care tax deductibility, we'll then move to push for the same deductibility for disability care, eldercare and nursing care.

All families are urged to sign the petition at www.makecarefair.com.au so that politicians can see the level of engagement and respond. The aim is to make the Government reform childcare policies, and extend the tax breaks.

So please, we urge you, sign the petition, forward this information to everyone you know, visit our Facebook page and share it with friends. You can follow the campaign in real time at Twitter @makecarefair

Every signature counts!