9 News over the weekend reported that the Turnbull Government is considering a scheme to pay grandparents to care for their grandchildren while their parents work.
Many Australian families already rely on grandparents for help, with the cost of childcare being so high – some grandparents even cut their working hours or retire earlier to make themselves available.
In speaking with the Sunday Mail, Queensland Senator Glenn Lazarus said he had put the proposal forward to Treasurer Scott Morrison, who had pledged to consider it.
The government needs crossbench support to pass its $3.5 billion Jobs for Families childcare package, announced in the 2015 budget and due to start on 1 July, 2017.
The package includes childcare deductions for families with incomes between $65,000 and $170,000 per year.
Mr Morrison is continuing to negotiate with the crossbench on the package.
Senator Lazarus said families in rural areas found it especially difficult to access childcare services and increasingly relied on grandparents for support.
“Many families are now leaning on grandparents to assist in the care of children while the parents go off to work because the cost of childcare in Queensland has increased so dramatically over the past few years,” he said.
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