Adam Steer: A Four Corners investigation on Monday revealed a broken childcare system and sparked public outcry from worried parents and educators. 1 in 10 childcare centres in Australia have never been rated by regulators, and others don’t meet the standards. The Prime Minister yesterday acknowledged the Four Corners revelations, calling them of deep concern, but when pressed on the issue, he handballed responsibility to the states. Why the reluctance to step in? Sarah Henderson is Liberal Senator Victoria and the opposition spokesperson for education. Senator, welcome to the program, welcome to the top end. What did you make of those findings of the investigation by Four Corners?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Well, Adam, good morning it’s great to join you. And obviously Four Corners has raised some very serious concerns about the childcare sector and unfortunately, we haven’t seen any answers from the Albanese government. We’ve seen a number of major issues with regulation and, of course, what is fundamental, Adam, is the safety of every child who goes to a childcare centre. Some of the statistics that are coming through, the proportion of centre-based childcare services accessing a waiver, the staffing requirements, that has gone up, and also the proportion of services exceeding quality has dropped quite significantly. So we are seeing a decline in standards under Labor and I do think it is important that the minister steps up and provides really immediate answers as to what the government is doing.
Adam Steer: If you win government in the upcoming election, what would you do as the education minister to ensure compliance and consequence for those childcare centres?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Well, we wouldn’t be sitting on our hands. I think that’s the bottom line. We would be seeking answers from state-based regulators and seeking assurances from those regulators that appropriate investigations are carried out. There must be a zero-tolerance for any issues of child safety, right across this country. So when regulators are either failing or when childcare centres are not doing the job, governments have got to step in and throw the book. And I don’t think we have seen this from this government.
Adam Steer: The Greens have called for a royal commission. Would you back that?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Look, we’re not saying that that is necessary at this point in time, but we are calling on the government to give immediate answers. Some of these stories, Adam, are absolutely heartbreaking and every parent, when they send their child to a childcare centre, needs to know that their child is going to be safe in every single respect. And we would call on the government to provide those assurances and to outline what it is going to do.
Adam Steer: You’re on ABC Radio Darwin, I’m Adam Steer with you, Senator Sarah Henderson, opposition spokesperson for education in town at the moment. I’ll get to some of those announcements, at the moment. How many politicians, Senator, do you know who own or part-own private childcare centres?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Look, I’m not sure. I haven’t checked the register of interests, but all of those interests are obviously declared, and that’s an important obligation of us as Members of Parliament.
Adam Steer: It is well reported that, Peter Dutton’s wife at one time owned a number of childcare centres. Do you agree with the idea of childcare centres being allowed to operate for profit or should it just be a service industry?
Senator Sarah Henderson: We’ve got a very strong system combining both, not-for-profit and for profit childcare centres. And of course, that’s perfectly appropriate but as I say…
Adam Steer: But is it appropriate when we see the for profit, on a large scale, cutting corners and not providing the services that their customers are being paid for and not looking after our children properly?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Well, Adam, what we’re concerned about is standards and the care of every child in a childcare centre, no matter whether it’s a for profit or a not for profit. And so we want to make sure, and that’s why we are calling on the government to provide immediate answers so that every single parent across this country, including in the Territory, can be assured when they send their child to a childcare centre that child is going to be safe, and that is the bottom line.
Adam Steer: ABC Radio Darwin Adam Steer with you. Senator Sarah Henderson, your guest. One of the biggest issues in the upcoming election will be the cost of living crisis. Treasurer Jim Chalmers had this to say on 730 last night.
Jim Chalmers: I think one of the most surprising, most disappointing elements of this Parliament has been whenever we’ve tried to help people with the cost of living, the Coalition under Peter Dutton has opposed that. They didn’t want us to provide a tax cut to every taxpayer, energy bill relief to every household, cheaper medicines, rent assistance, cheaper early childhood education, getting wages moving again, fee-free TAFE. It beggars belief, frankly, in the context of the pressure that people have been under, that Peter Dutton has opposed all of that, and that means people would be thousands of dollars worse off today if he had his way, and they’ll be worse off still if he wins the election.
Adam Steer: That was Jim Chalmers last night, Senator, do you agree that you’ve opposed cost of living measures of the Labor government?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Look, that’s not the case at all, Adam. But let me just say that I was out campaigning with Lisa Bayliss, who’s our wonderful candidate for Solomon. We were door knocking yesterday, speaking to lots of people in the community, and everyone is so concerned about the cost of living, people have gone backwards under Labor. Only the Coalition has a very strong plan to deliver low inflation, cutting wasteful spending, reducing tax and red tape. And unfortunately, we hear a lot of rubbish from this government. We hear a lot of untruths, and unfortunately, we have seen so many families worse off.
Adam Steer: So the Treasurer was wrong in saying that you had blocked all of those cost of living measures that they’d put through to Parliament?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Look, the problem is that the government now promised that energy would be lower, would promise you have lower mortgages. None of that has happened under this government. So they are now scrambling and what we do know is that we have seen the largest fall in living standards in history. Housing is unaffordable. Our country is not as safe. Things are going backwards at a rocket speed right across this country, including in the Territory and under Peter Dutton and the Coalition, Adam, we are really determined to get things back on track.
Adam Steer: Lots to talk about the housing there, but we don’t have time there. Just a couple more questions before I get to what you’re doing here in the Northern Territory, based on the census data, Jewish citizens make up 0.4% of the Australian population. Peter Dutton wants to add a antisemitism question to the citizenship test. Do you know what that question would look like, would it be like ‘do you like people of a Jewish faith? Yes or no’. Is that kind of type of thing you’re going to be asking?
Senator Sarah Henderson: What Peter Dutton and what the Coalition is concerned about is that we don’t want to see any hate or incitement in our country. We have seen Adam, an antisemitism crisis right across our country. Childcare centres being fire bombed, synagogues being fire bombed, horrific graffiti, schools being attacked. On the university campuses, continuing hate and incitement and vilification. We won’t stand for it. We want our country to be safe for everyone. And any measure that we take to make this country safe, including for Jewish Australians, is incredibly important. That’s not just important for Jewish Australians, Adam, that is important for all Australians, and only the Coalition will deliver those measures, to ensure that we stamp out antisemitism in every form.
Adam Steer: Yeah and it’s awful, any of that antisemitism that’s going on, will the government be also pushing for something similar to protect people of Muslim faith?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Look, we’ve made it clear that whenever anyone in our community is subjected to hate and incitement, we will take appropriate action. And there was some recent incidents involving Islamophobia, and we called that out very strongly. So we’ve announced a whole range of measures to ensure that no matter where people come from, no matter their religion, no matter their faith, we will stand up for every single Australian to make sure they are safe. But at the moment, Adam, as you know, and particularly in Melbourne and Sydney, we have seen a growing antisemitism crisis. We have seen a weakness from the Albanese government. They have not tackled this issue as they should have. And as the Shadow Education Minister, I can assure you, the government did nothing in the face of the encampments, in the face of the classroom invasions, Jewish students were too scared to go to university. That’s not the sort of country we want to live in. On our watch that won’t happen.
Adam Steer: Let’s move on to, while you’re here in Darwin, the announcement today that you’re making?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Well, we made an announcement last night, a wonderful announcement with our fabulous candidate for Solomon, Lisa Bayless, $5 million if a Dutton government is elected for the Gardens Oval number two redevelopment, so a big investment in footy and cricket, with upgraded change rooms, new lights. Of course, as you know, Adam, the Northern Territory has the highest per capita number of people playing footy of any in the country. And so this is a great example of how Lisa is working really hard for the people of Solomon, getting out there and delivering the community investments they need. And so it’s a very exciting announcement that we’ve made.
Adam Steer: Yeah, you have three days in the Northern Territory. You’ve been to a couple of places in Alice Springs. I think you’re meeting with Charles Darwin University today. I know there’s a proposal, if you come into government, to put a cap on foreign students. What are you going to say to the university around that?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Well, look, we have a fabulous couple of days. We’ve been to Alice, and now we’re in Darwin. We’re obviously talking about our Back to Basics education plan, which is so important for every young Australian. We’re meeting with the university, Teach for Australia. We’re doing a roundtable with school principals, and visiting a number of schools, which is really exciting, because we’ve got a very strong focus on getting back to basics, on prioritising reading, writing, mathematics and science, so that every young Australian can achieve his or her best potential. But look, and I am looking forward to meeting the CDU again today, but in relation to international students, just briefly, we have seen that Labor has made a complete failure of international student numbers. This is running out of control. We’ve seen record levels of students driven by a real immigration mess, which is fuelling our housing crisis.
Adam Steer: Is it, though, is it really? I mean, is it really fuelling our housing crisis? Those students are in mostly student accommodations. It sounds like that you’re marrying two arguments together?
Senator Sarah Henderson: Look, it does vary across the country but certainly there are massive pressures in the major cities, less so in the Territory. So we really recognise the significant and important role that international students play in the Territory, but certainly in the large cities where most of our foreign students are, they are placing very significant pressure on housing, and that’s why we’ve made a very important stand that we will drive down excessive numbers of foreign students, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney. But I’m really looking forward to meeting the CDU, a wonderful university, to talk about their particular needs and the important role students play in Darwin and in the Territory. Thank you so much for your time. Love to see you in the studio next time. Senator, but thank you so much again. Good to talk to you.
Senator Sarah Henderson: Wonderful to talk to you. Thank you so much, Adam.