The new childcare system will be introduced from Sunday.
“What we will be doing is turning off the old system and going to a new system which will provide that relief to parents,” Education Minister Dan Tehan said.
“The way it will work is that we will look at what 50 per cent of the fees up to the rate cap were in the fortnight before March 2 and we will pay you that amount on a fortnightly basis.”
Tehan said the hope is that now those who have sought to disengage with the childcare sector will re-engage.
Childcare centres will be urged to prioritise the needs of parents when it comes to care under the federal government’s new childcare system.
“We are going to ask the centres to prioritise and they should prioritise obviously those who need their children cared for because they are working and working where they can’t care for their children safely at home,” Tehan said.
“For them to prioritise as well vulnerable children who need that continuity of care as well and then to re-engage with those parents who have taken their children out of care to see whether they can be accommodated as necessary as well, but there is a clear priority list that we want centres to take into account.”
He said essential workers and vulnerable children should be prioritised.
Morrison said his government will implement support arrangements to keep 13,000 childcare centres open amid the crisis.
