11/4/12: Rachel goes live on Sydney's Radio 2GB

Those of you who know me will be aware that I'm a little bit passionate about supporting nannies (and in fact all in home carers) who do one of the most important and toughest jobs out there. Yesterday I was so pleased to be able to stand up for Australian nannies in a lively radio chat about the Nanny Rebate- with popular Sydney station 2GB, host Ben Fordham and Kate Ellis, Australia's Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Education.

You can listen to the discussion here.

The causes of the debate

Tony Abbot is proposing to extend the existing childcare rebate in Australia to include nannies. In a Careforkids.com survey of over 1700 parents 84% of them agreed. Their reason? Traditional childcare centres and out of hours care are not offering them the flexible support that they need to get back into the workforce. Parents want an affordable in home care solution.

Kate Ellis, the Minister for Early Childhood Education, is a strong advocate for childcare in Australia but doesn't agree that nannies fit in to the same 'child carer' bracket as regulated child care centres.

The argument is that extending the childcare benefit to nannies would ultimately service the 'rich' who use nannies for and array of domestic duties from housekeeping to driving, and take from the lower income earners whose existing child care rebates and benefits would have to be cut to accommodate the new nanny provisions.

Having experienced the nanny industry in the US, UK, NZ and Australia I can understand why Kate can't recognise the importance nannies might play in Australia's childcare future. The perception of a nannies role is widely misunderstood in Australia and it's common for people to view nannies as housekeepers who 'also look after the kids.'

The reality is that good nannies are trained childcare specialists who have dedicated time and money to learning how to support the health, wellbeing, educational, emotional and social development of children. They want more support and structure in their jobs and would embrace government enforced guidelines which would professionalise their industry.

Ask any professional nanny if housekeeping is a part of their job and they will tell you their number one role is caring for the children, and that nursery duties (children's cooking, laundry etc) will be completed but are not the primary function of the job. In a Café Nanny Survey completed last week of over 100 nannies and parents surveyed only 6% thought that heavy housekeeping- cleaning bathrooms/ parents washing etc are duties that should be expected of a nanny. 94% disagreed.

Professional nannies are up in arms about peoples misguided perception of their role. One nanny told us 'I'm a fully trained childcare professional! I have a diploma in children's services and I have 15 years experience. I supply better quality care than the majority of daycare centres (I worked in daycare for 7yrs I know what happens in daycare!).'

So where to from here for Australian nannies?


There's no saying at this stage in the debate if the nanny rebate will come to fruition in Australia. Of course there's a cost involved but the question is if Australia will prioritise this cost in the same way the countries such as NZ and the UK are.

I'd love to see the Australian childcare industry embrace the role of the nanny, start working towards regulating the nanny industry more and giving nannies the support and structure they need to thrive in their profession. I'd also love to see a commitment to finding a solution to the cost issue- if nannies are too expensive then why not promote the nanny share?

With so many Australian parents complaining about the lack of local childcare options here, I can't help thinking the question is not can Australia afford to bring this measure in, the question is can Australia afford not to?

Rachel Lewis
Director
KiwiOz Nannies