Labor Expands Free Childcare to 3 Taxpayer-Subsidised Days per Week

The bill partially abolishes the ‘activity test’ to guarantee three days of subsidies for families earning up to $530,000.

Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth Anne Aly during question time at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 6, 2023. Martin Ollman/Getty Images

Families earning up to $530,000 a year will be guaranteed three days of subsidised childcare per week free of the previous “activity test,” under a plan unveiled by the federal Australian government on Feb. 5.

The policy, introduced by the Minister for Early Childhood Ann Aly, promises a minimum of 72 taxpayer-subsidised hours per fortnight.