Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced free childcare for more than one million families, with a funding boost that aims to keep more than 13,000 childcare services across Australia open.

The City of Kingston, located in the middle and outer southern suburbs of Melbourne, yesterday launched their $2.8 million COVID-19 community and business support package which includes specialised support for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector.

An Australian family on the average wage typically spends close to A$6,000 out of pocket per year on child care, a new analysis from the Mitchell Institute shows. This is more than the average cost of sending a child to a private primary school.

Childcare prices across Australia rose 7.2 per cent in the three months ended December 2019 compared to the same period last year, and 1.5 per cent compared to the three months ended September 2019 according to the latest Consumer Price Index data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

Many providers of early childhood education and care are charging above the cap for government subsidies and parents are being forced to meet the additional costs. This is according to recently released data.