POLITICS
Cheaper Child Care
now available for 9,300 Greenway families
We know that families are feeling the pressure of rising costs of living .
That ’ s why we ’ re increasing the Child Care Subsidy from July . This is a big reform that is good for children , good for families , and good for Australia .
From 1 July , families across our community will benefit t from more affordable child care .
This means 9,300 families here in Greenway will save on their child care costs .
In total , 96 per cent of Australian families will be better off under Labor ’ s child care reforms – 1.26 million families .
Under the Liberal / National Government fees increased by 49 per cent . We ’ re driving down out-of-pocket
costs . Under our changes a family on a combined income of $ 120,000 with one child in care will save around $ 1,700 in the first year of this plan alone .
In the first year alone , a family on a combined income of $ 90,000 a year with one child in child care three days a week will save $ 1,140 .
This delivers real cost of living relief to local families , and boosts productivity by supporting parents , particularly mums , to work more paid hours if they want to .
Early learning and care is important for our children ’ s development , and now it will be even more accessible for families across our community .
It ’ s a win for kids , for families and for the economy .
Over $ 1m for North West Sydney under new Disaster Ready Fund
North West Sydney will be better protected and prepared for future natural disasters due to an announcement made in June , of the Blacktown Drainage Amplification for Flood Mitigation Project , funded under Round One of the Albanese Government ’ s new Disaster Ready Fund .
Through the first round , the region will benefit from $ 1,013,516 in combined investment into disaster prevention , through the Federal , State and delivery partner co-contributions .
The local project involves drainage amplification to mitigate flooding at Ree Place , Bidwill , where works include providing new pits at Wicklow Street and Cook Place , and pipework from Wicklow Street to improve the capacity of the system .
NSW will also benefit from $ 3.6m in funding to improve digital connectivity for disaster impacted communities , $ 12.7m in funding for Hazard Watch for warning communications during emergencies , $ 3.6m for Land iQ Disaster Ready Enhancements , and $ 1.2m towards mental health resources for young people to deal with the trauma of a natural disaster through Bushfire Kids Connect .
The Fund was an election commitment by the Albanese Government , and will deliver national long-term mitigation funding to help protect communities from natural disasters .
State and Territory governments submitted applications for a range of projects to improve mitigation and resilience , in collaboration with local Councils and community groups .
Local member Michelle Rowland said “ The North West Sydney region faces the threat of floods and every year natural disasters are becoming more common , and more dangerous ”.
“ In 2022 , we saw some parts of our region experience up to three floods in one year .”
“ Through the Albanese Government ’ s new Disaster Ready Fund , we ’ re investing up to $ 1 billion in Commonwealth funding over five years to build critical projects that will reduce disaster risk , help to reduce recovery costs and strengthen community resilience across Australia , including in the North West Sydney region .
18 ISSUE 28 // JULY 2023 theindependentmagazine . com . au BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT