Additional $12m funding for services hit by JobKeeper ineligibility

Federal Minister for Education Dan Tehan has confirmed that in response to findings from the ECEC Relief Package four week review $12 million in additional funding will now be made available to services that have more than 30 per cent of their full time equivalent staff ineligible for JobKeeper payments. 

The move is likely to be be well received by early childhood education and care (ECEC) services that missed out on the JobKeeper payments for a large portion of their staff, in particular those with a high proportion of temporary visa holders or casual employees, with outside schools hours care and in home care services understood to be most likely to benefit. 

Mr Tehan indicated that the measure had been taken as part of a broader push by the Government to make further improvements to the Relief Package, in response to circumstances identified in the four week review, which was published yesterday. 

In addition, a further $800,000 has been earmarked to increase funding levels to In Home Care providers. 

No further funding or policy changes have been announced for the wider ECEC community at this stage, although Mr Tehan did state that the Federal Government continues to review and assess the relief package in light of the evolving circumstances of the sector and the broader economy and that consideration as to how policy can support the recovery was ongoing. 

To read Mr Tehan’s statement please click here.