My name is Liam and I’m a dad to two girls, both under 4, which is the best job in the world. But right now, parents like myself and my partner are frustrated by some of the unfair childcare fee hikes. 

We have a 1 minute survey to assess the extent of the price gouging in Autralia. Please follow this link.

In July this year, the much-needed federal government increase to child care subsidy came into effect. This move was to help reduce childcare costs and bring parents, especially mums, back to the workforce sooner. But we’re at risk of losing any subsidy with some of the drastic price hikes by childcare centres, especially franchised and multi-centre child care organisations.

For young families, child care is often the biggest expense after mortgage repayments or rent. Fees have been racing upward for years, even before the recent inflation surge and cost-of-living pressures.

Now with the subsidy, we’re seeing a disturbing trend — child care providers, instead of passing on the benefits, are shamelessly raising their prices to claim a lion's share of the subsidy. This equates to an outrageous inflation rate of up to 20-30% in child care fees for some of the larger child care entities. Meanwhile, workers' wages barely see a 2-3% increase, and essential costs like food and energy rise around 10%*. The excessive fees only line the pockets of business owners.

We won't allow childcare centres to take advantage of this reform for profits. They shouldn't get a free pass to price gouge families and educators. This is why I’m calling on the government to regulate subsidized industries to support everyday people:

• Enforce regulations on profit margins for subsidised businesses.
• Mandate a comprehensive breakdown of expenses and revenue to a government body, such as the ATO, as a prerequisite for subsidy eligibility.
• Institute a 6-month delay on price increases following the initiation of a subsidy scheme, unless companies can prove operational losses.
• Establish a maximum profit margin, such as 30%, for most subsidised industries. Subsidies should not benefit businesses making substantial profits. If they desire more customers, let them reduce prices.

Please sign and share this petition to ensure the well-being of families is prioritised over profit margins. Together, we can put an end to unfair fee hikes and ensure that the increased subsidies actually benefit families. 

Spread the word, share this petition far and wide, and let's make our voices heard in Parliament. It's our chance to make subsidies count and create a better future for all Australians.

*These numbers are based off of preliminary research, and will be updated as more data becomes available. If you'd like to contribute to this dataset, please fill in the google form survey at this link.