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Dubbo Council comes out in support of FDC, waives levies
Freya Lucas
Apr 21, 2020
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Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) has elected to waive a number of levies typically charged to family day care (FDC) providers who operate under the Council’s scheme, in recognition of the “invaluable contribution that FDC educators make towards the welfare and pastoral care of children”.
Effective 16 April, the Council has waived Parent Administration Levies, Caregiver Levies, and Harmony Levies until 30 June, the end of the financial year. The announcement comes after the Australian Government moved to implement the Early Childhood Education and Care Relief Package, as part of pandemic measures.Dubbo FDC currently has 33 educators in the scheme, who support families in the towns of Wellington, Dubbo, Geurie, Narromine and Warren. There are currently 231 families and 314 children enrolled and attending the service on a weekly basis.
The Relief Package provides Dubbo FDC with a weekly amount of $19,000, roughly the equivalent of fifty per cent of the fees they are charged for the number of children who were in care, during the fortnight from 17 February to 1 March 2020 (up to a cap rate).
Dubbo Region Mayor, Ben Shields, said that despite the changes, educators in the scheme have continued to provide education and care to essential workers, including doctors, nurses and emergency service personnel, seven days a week, with many also working into the evenings, overnight and weekends, to provide a care option for families, during the pandemic.
As a result of waiving these levies for Dubbo Family Day Care, Dubbo Regional Council will sustain a financial loss in excess of $85,000 between now and the conclusion of the financial year.Mayor Shields said Council was determined to “actively work to alleviate educators’ unfavourable financial circumstances, during these particularly challenging times” and was waiving the levies to “help ensure that educators have the most favourable hours payment rate possible, during the pandemic”.
For more information about the decision, please visit the Council’s website, here.
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