This Month
- Opinion
- Canberra Observed
Short-term politics won’t leave sustainable childcare legacy
Five years ago, Labor promised to subsidise childcare wages and was howled down. Now, it hardly moves the dial.
- Phillip Coorey
PM hints at universal childcare by middle of next term
Childcare fees could continue to be capped in return for long-term government wage subsidies.
- Phillip Coorey
Labor’s $3.6b pre-election pay boost for childcare workers
The government will fund a 15 per cent, $3.6 billion pay rise for child care workers over the next two years on the proviso their employers agree to limit fee increases until after the election.
- Phillip Coorey
July
PEP bankers up for $1b-plus Guardian Childcare and Education; bids in
The resurrected sale, being run by Morgan Stanley, is fielding interest from financial sponsors but not many trade players are in the mix.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
The education method that’s made this family millions
When Charles and Colette Assaf bought a Montessori childcare business in 2000, the IT entrepreneur never expected it would become his family’s future.
- Yolanda Redrup
May
- Opinion
- Population
How the world went from baby boom to baby bust
Helping people have the children they want in ways that fit with their plans should be a focus of policy. It is essential to help women combine careers with children.
- Updated
- Martin Wolf
Partners upsizes forecasts for Guardian Childcare ahead of auction
Street Talk has the skinny on updated earning figures that Partners Group is betting will get tyre-kickers fighting to be teacher’s pet.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Gender and family advocates will have to wait a bit longer
The issue with announcing a rise in wages for childcare workers is that there is a multi-enterprise bargaining process underway.
- Sally Patten
Partners Group to restart Guardian sale after childcare review
The Swiss private equity firm expects deals to ramp up in the second half, and primed its early learning business to be the first off the block.
- Aaron Weinman
April
Childcare workers desert industry for higher wages in aged care
The country’s largest childcare operator says workers are leaving the sector for higher-paying roles in industries such as aged care.
- Euan Black
Why this boss wants to help pay for childcare
In an Australian first, u&u Recruitment Partners will subsidise the costs of childcare up to ease the financial burden of returning to work.
- Julie Hare
The enduring appeal of the super-strict parenting regime of Gina Ford
For some, she is a saviour. For others, pernicious. Yet 25 years after her first book was published, her tomes account for 25 per cent of the childcare market.
- Arabella Byrne
Childcare rebates could leap to $14b - but women still aren’t back at work
A key objective of the most recent changes to childcare subsidies was to encourage more women into the workforce, but so far they haven’t taken the bait.
- Updated
- Julie Hare
March
Childcare giant G8’s $46m ‘no admission’ settlement
Even with insurance, shareholders will still take a hefty hit after the board decided to settle for “commercial” reasons.
- Updated
- Liam Walsh
Childcare boost among avalanche of budget demands
The government fears removing the activity test altogether risks turning childcare into another “free for all” like the NDIS.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Gender pay gap
Women don’t ‘choose’ to work less – there is no choice
The “motherhood penalty” in Australia is higher than our peers. It’s dragging on national productivity.
- Gordon Cleveland and Georgie Dent
- Analysis
- Due diligence
G8 tries to escape childcare’s returns quagmire
The biggest listed player in childcare posted better profit results. But after years in the shareholder doldrums, many hurdles to consistent profit loom.
- Liam Walsh
February
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
What we learnt from Altium, Reece, Helia and G8 Education’s results
Altium’s lucky cushion, Reece’s big run, Helia keeps rising and G8 Education pumps up prices.
- James Thomson and Anthony Macdonald
G8 raises childcare fees as chief executive collects $3m in pay
The Gold Coast-based group, which has more than 400 centres, said the price rise was linked to higher wage and supply costs – although margins could increase.
- Liam Walsh
- Opinion
- Population
Birth rates are falling. Why family-friendly policies are not enough
The stunning fertility collapse in some countries is “not primarily driven by economics or family policies”. It’s more to do with culture and psychology.
- Ross Douthat
