Anthony Albanese is facing renewed pressure from Labor’s backbench to deliver on his promise that universal childcare will form a central part of his legacy as prime minister.
Charlotte Walker, a 22-year-old Labor senator for South Australia who previously worked in childcare administration, said the government’s reform of early childhood education was unfinished.
“We absolutely have not been going quiet on that,” Ms Walker told The Issue podcast.
She said childcare remained a frequent subject of discussion among Labor politicians and would continue to be a priority for the government.
“Childcare is going to continue to be a priority of this government and a really important legacy,” she said. “So obviously not all the work’s done, but I’m really proud of the moves that we’ve made.”
Labor’s universal childcare promise
During the 2025 ABC election debate, Mr Albanese identified affordable childcare as one area he wanted to reform and outlined an ambition for universal subsidised access.
Labor introduced a three-day guarantee in January, extending three days of subsidised childcare a week to more than 90,000 additional families, according to Department of Education figures.
Families earning up to $100,000 are estimated to save about $1,500 a year under the measure. But Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in May that reaching a more universal system would take time.
Ms Walker acknowledged that the government was taking an incremental approach.
“That’s something that we’re working towards,” she said. “Like the prime minister said, he wants it to be a legacy of our government. So I’m really proud of the moves that we’ve made.”
Coalition considers childcare alternatives
The Opposition is developing a childcare policy focused on giving parents greater choice beyond the standard system.
Former Liberal education minister Alan Tudge has proposed a payment of $160 a fortnight for grandparents caring for grandchildren for more than 20 hours a week, along with tax cuts for single-income families.
Coalition leader Angus Taylor did not rule out payments for grandparents when asked about the idea, saying the Opposition would release a policy in the coming months.
“Under Labor we’ve seen a single option, which is a standardised childcare system, which works for many Australians, but not all of them,” Mr Taylor said.
“We need to have more flexibility and more choice,” he added, describing childcare as an important issue while Australians were “under the pump right now”.
The competing approaches are expected to set the scene for a childcare contest at the 2028 election.
