Senator Chris Evans asked the Minister for Family and Community Services, upon notice, on 16 April 1999:

With reference to outside school hours care (defined as before and after school hours, not including vacation care), providing the most recent information for all states and individual states:

(1) (a) How many families are using outside school hours care; and (b) how many children are enrolled.

(2) (a) How many families have been granted access to child care assistance for outside school hours care; and (b) for how many children.

(3) What are the average hourly fees for outside school hours care.

(4) What is the average hourly child care assistance paid for outside school hours care.

(5) What is the average `gap' fee for outside school hours care.

(6) (a) What is the number of outside school hours care services; and (b) can a list of their addresses be provided.

(7) (a) How many outside school hours care services have opened since January 1996; and (b) can a list of their addresses be provided.

(8) (a) How many outside school hours care services have closed since January 1996; and (b) can a list of their addresses be provided.

(9) How many families with children enrolled in outside school hours care have other children enrolled in other types of approved child care services.

Senator Newman (Family and Community Services; Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) —The Minister for Family and Community Services has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) (a) and (b) Number of families and children using Outside School Hours Care (OSHC)

Source: 1997 Census of Child Care Services

Note: This data precedes the 27 April 1998 Government initiatives. The impact of the changes on the number of families and children using OSHC since these initiatives will be assessed when data from the 1999 Census of Child Care Services is available. The data measures occurrences of care and will include some double counting where children attend more than one service.

(2) (a) and (b)

Note: (i) Data for ACT and NT OSHC are included in the figures for NSW and Queensland respectively. The `Unknown' category also includes ACT and NT data.

(ii) This data measures occurrences of care and will include some double counting where children attend more than one service.

(iii) This data reflects services recorded as operational as at mid-May 1999 and this should be taken into consideration if comparing these figures to those supplied in answer to Question 1 (Number of children and families) which were based on 1997 Census data.

Source: Centrelink Database, Knowledge Theme Team, May 1999

(3) (4) and (5) Average fees and Childcare Assistance for OSHC services have changed since the Government's policy initiatives of 27 April 1998. The impact of these initiatives will be assessed when data from the 1999 Census of Child Care Services is available.

(6)(a)&(b)

Source: Childcare System for quarter ended March 1999.

A list of addresses has been forwarded to the honourable Senator.

(7) (a) The majority of OSHC services that have opened since January 1996 are included in a listing of currently operational services which has been provided separately to the honourable Senator.

The changes in funding arrangements from 27 April 1998 resulted in the transfer of a number of services from State and Territory Governments. In addition, new services have established and existing services have extended. It is anticipated that information on openings from July 1997 will be available around the end of June 1999.

(8) (a) and (b) OSHC Closures 1 July 1997—31 December 1998

Source: Childcare System for quarter ended December 1998

Data on closures are available from 1 July 1997. A list of addresses for closures, which was too voluminous to include in Hansard, has been forwarded to the honourable Senator.

Caveat: Caution is urged using figures on openings and closures because of the volatile nature of this information—centres amalgamate, change ownership, change names or transfer a name to another service.

(9) This information is not available. The Census of Child Care Services provides information on families who enrol more than one child in the same service, but no information is collected between different service types.