There are some aspects of the private enterprise system about which ordinary voters are skeptical and child care, along with health and education, is among them.

The public is uneasy about the profit motive being the determining factor in what services are provided and where they are available. Yesterday’s inflation figure showing that child care costs in the last year — for the fourth year in a row — rose by more than 12% will surely have increased the concern.

Labor’s Shadow Minister for Families & Community Services, Jenny Macklin, might have lacked the charisma to be an effective deputy leader but she has the ammunition to redeem her reputation by making this into a major election issue. Her comment on the CPI suggests that she will put a little private sector bashing on the agenda.

In promising that Federal Labor will require local child care fees and fee increases to be published, and require parents to be given at least two months’ notice of any fee increase, Ms Macklin drew attention to the Australian Bureau of Statistics CPI report that “the rise in the net price of child care across all cities this quarter was mainly due to rises in fees by some providers of private day care.”

Federal Labor, she promised, will establish an Office of Work and Family in the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet to work with the States and Territories and child care providers and publish:

  • local child care fees;
  • vacancy data;
  • breaches of quality standards; and
  • parental reviews.

But it is the method by which up to 260 new child care centres will be built that should have the private sector providers of child care really worried.

Ms Macklin wants them established on primary school grounds where possible which is a broad hint that not-for-profit bodies will be favoured.