Recently the Federal government announced its #freechildcare policy. This has privately owned child care facility at Coorparoo upset because it means a reduction in funding. All this comes under the radar because of Covid-19. Is the government using Covid-19 restrictions placed on educational facilities as a cover? You wouldn’t put it past them.
Subsidies to private enterprise is usually under the radar until there is an economic crisis. Then we see government bailing out banks, airlines and most of Australia’s services sector. Government has always funded private education partly because from the outset of colonisation there were so few schools. Religions had their own motivation to set up schools. Then came the schools subsidy and since that time some of the earliest schools became elitist and wealthy.
Now that both parents are working places like Timber Tots have sprung up everywhere. Their workers are paid pittance and hence the unrest reflected in the banner and video below.
Signs of resistance
In the next few weeks in May 2020 we will see whether the Morrison government’s job keeper and job seeker allowances actually work. My feeling is a lot of workers are going to miss out. Many will not survive on these kinds of wages.
Ian Curr
3 May 2020