Payment for grandparents that look after their grandchildren has the community and the government happy.
Paid child care could be branched out to nannies and grandparents if the government agree with the recommendations by the Productivity Commission tasked with overhauling the nation’s child care system.
The commission believes subsidising the payment of nannies and grandparents will be a great way to keep child care waiting lists short and give parents more options in the care of their children without feeling like they are burdening their family members.
The catch is that grandparents must have at least a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education to be eligible for the subsidy and be open to random checks by the national auditor.
The recommendations are still in their draft stages and the government won’t be considering them until October, but Greek Australians are heralding the initiative.
In a poll on Neos Kosmos’ website, 64 per cent of readers agreed qualified grandparents should be paid by the government to provide child care.
For many, grandparents have been a lifeline in giving their children safe and meaningful care while keeping costs down.
Grandmother Nicki Zougoulos says the incentive is a good idea, if the payment is up to par with current wages or acts like an add on to the pension.
“It’s a good idea for grandparents to be getting an income, but simply, it shouldn’t interfere with their pension,” she tells Neos Kosmos.
“It’s because when you look after your grandchildren, there are some costs.”
“It’s the heating, petrol when you take the children out in the car, buying them something like an ice-cream or lollies, they all add up.”
Mrs Zougoulos cares for her two grandchildren, Janna, 1, and Theodore, 2, three times a week, while working part time.
In between visits, her grandson Theodore also goes to child care. Mrs Zougoulos says giving Theodore the chance to have both forms of care is very important.
“Grandparents will be able to offer their grandchildren what they know. For instance, in our culture, they will be able to teach them about their religion, sing them traditional songs or teach them another language,” she says.
“But at child care they are able to play with other children and become more sociable, it’s the other side.”
For many grandparents, their care is sometimes the only option for working parents.
Many parents struggle with huge day care waiting lists and find costs are so high that one income is primarily used to supplement the day care bills.
On average, one day of day care costs families $74 dollars. The commission found that just over 100,000 additional full-time places will be needed by 2026, meaning as day care centres fill up, more grandparents will be asked to pitch in.
Nearly two thirds of the children aged 0 to 12 who usually attended some type of informal care were cared for by grandparents.
The paid grandparent child care scheme will also mean that older people will no longer have to choose between continuing to work or spend time with their grandchildren.
It will also give valuable work for older Australians who struggle to find paid work after the age of 60.
Having to be qualified is another issue that might have Greek Australian grandparents left out of receiving the subsidy.
Obtaining the Certificate III required might be a barrier for those with low English literacy.
Deputy director and manager of family and community services at the Australian Greek Welfare Society, Tina Douvos, says Greek grandparents might hit a roadblock with getting certified.
“If we look at the first generation Greek community, many of them don’t have formal qualification or schooling, particularly in the English language,” Ms Douvos tells Neos Kosmos.
“It might be a difficult concept to consider.”
But for the Greek community, even if the initiative doesn’t get government backing, grandparents will still be playing a major role in the lives of their grandchildren.
“In the Greek community, it’s an important part of raising a family,” Ms Douvos says.
Currently for parents, the government offers two benefits to help with child care costs.
One is the childcare benefit, a means-tested payment for low-to-middle income families, and the other is the childcare rebate, a non-means tested payment that covers up to 50 per cent of out-of-pocket costs.