John Cherry

@AlanKohler @abcnews Australia's ECEC system outperforms Canada's on pretty much every metric so maybe they need a system more like ours? We do need our regulators to hold poorly performing providers to account - a National ECEC Commission as recommended by the @ozprodcom would do the job.

This week's column for @abcnews in which I double down, in detail, on my call to nationalise child care, fully aware, of course, that it will never happen. abc.net.au/news/2026-04-1…

A cast of Qld LNP & Liberals behind Childcare Choice & For Parents groups. Former Peter Dutton staffer Jen Fleming co-runs both & has appeared across media. Whilst working for Dutton, she was caught stealing a Qld Labor 2015 election sign. #auspol abc.net.au/news/2026-03-1…

@ozprodcom It frustrates me that @ozprodcom allows journalists to get embargoed copies of this report to write sensationalist articles on it but not sector bodies who could actually provide some balance. Every year. Same story.

Out now | What are the trends in safety in #childcare? What proportion of VET students are meeting their goals? Get the latest on childcare, #education and training in Part B of 2026 Report on Government Services: bit.ly/4qSWcAU #Schools #Vocational

Many parents – mostly mothers – lose family payments from the first dollar they earn. A great article on how to fix it womensagenda.com.au/latest/many-pa…

Not sure funding ECEC like chronically underfunded public schools is the 'solution' . My local schools have dozens of temporary classrooms parked on their ovals and overworked staff. There are better ways to reform ECEC. @MattGrudnoff thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2025/0…

Great article by @JMDixonVU and the National Federation of Women showing that investment in child care and aged care would boost workforce participation and mostly pay for itself. businessdailymedia.com/business-news/…

Gorgeous weather for the Brookfield Show an iconic Brisbane event is a beautiful rural setting. Hard to believe we are 15km from the CBD.

@Maggie_Perry6 Fascinating. I think Fisher was less than 1% on the 3CP

I think it's gone unnoticed how many indies just barely missed out this time. 0.05% off Bradfield (?) 0.1% off Goldstein 0.3% off Bean ~1% off Forrest ~1% off Monash 1% off Fremantle 1% off Grey ~2% off Fisher 2% off Flinders 2% off in Cowper 3% off Wannon Calwell still unknown

Todays CPI data shows that while inflation has risen around 14% over the past three years net child care costs are lower than they were three years ago. More children are in early learning and more of their mums are in the workforce. A triple win for Australia.

@page_research I think you have veered right off any evidence based analysis at all now.

5/ This isn’t family policy—it’s workforce engineering. You’re not encouraged to raise your kids—you’re rewarded for outsourcing them. And if you choose differently? You’re on your own. It’s a loop—and you’re not allowed out of it.

🧵Labor calls it “support for families.” But they only help the families who do as they’re told. Here’s the uncomfortable truth behind Labor’s childcare plan—and what a better alternative could look like:

@page_research Several Nobel Prize winning economists have calculated that investing in early learning more than pays for itself in the long term

4/ ONE: IT REDEFINES WHAT GOOD PARENTING IS. In Labor’s Australia, the “ideal parent” is one who drops their child off at daycare by 8AM, works a full day, and hands over a third of their pay in taxes…to fund the very system that made it all possible.

@page_research Great outcome for children in rural and regional Australia who currently are more likely to start school developmentally behind, and underperform on NAPLAN literacy & numeracy tests.

3/ So what is Labor actually proposing? From 2026, all families earning under $530k will get three days a week of subsidised early education—no activity test, no work requirements. They also plan to spend $1 billion to build or expand 160 new centres in suburbs and regions. Sounds generous, but let’s be clear: this isn’t care—it’s coercion.

@page_research That's not quite right. Since 2021 two big reforms to the child care subsidy have seen the participation rate of mums of children aged 0-4 years increase by 3.4%, and days in care (and mums working) has also risen.

2/ The reason is simple: most parents are already maxed out. - Only 6.5% of parents with kids under 15 say they’d work more if childcare were cheaper. - Only 16% of mothers want more paid hours at all. The rest? They value raising their children—and want time to do it.

@page_research The Productivity Commission recommended increasing access to early learning as being good for children's learning outcomes, reducing the % of children starting school developmentally behind.

1/ First, some context. Since the 1970s, childcare subsidies have aimed to boost workforce participation. At first, it worked. But we’ve hit the ceiling. Even the Productivity Commission now admits: expanding childcare further won’t increase labour supply.

This is the value of strong free trade with reliable partners like Australia — and mutual respect for our cultural treasures.    Looking forward to doing more to bring our nations even closer together, @AlboMP.

Early Childhood Australia will host an online #FederalElection Forum on Tuesday 29 April, 7.00–8.30 pm AEST. Register to attend this online event: bit.ly/3RkHse8 #ElectionForum

Fair Work has handed down its gender pay review and recommended 18-23% wage increases for early childhood educators phased in over 5 year. Will now hear from Cth & employers on how to fund it. fwc.gov.au/hearings-decis…

Best tariff meme yet

News @The_Nationals will support a $1b p.a. Australia Future Fund to end childcare deserts, improve healthcare access and fund more local roads. abc.net.au/news/2025-04-1…

The @greens #Childcare policy restates their longstanding commitment to free childcare and a transition to a high quality #ECEC system, with a National ECEC Commission, more NFP services, a better paid workforce and more funding for inclusion. greens.org.au/portfolios/ear…