Governments have turned care into a commodity. It’s failing us all
From child care to aged care and disability support, Australia’s care economy is increasingly a for-profit enterprise. But that comes at a great cost.
Australia's care system has transformed into a for-profit market, causing significant failures in quality, availability, and harm to those who rely on it. The shift began in the 1970s as conservative governments embraced business models to meet the growing demand for care services as populations aged and women entered the workforce.
The Australian government replaced public care services with private organizations, influenced by the concept of "new public management" and neoliberalism. This led to the adoption of a voucher funding model, where individuals pay out-of-pocket for care or rely on limited government subsidies. This voucher system encourages for-profit providers, leading to a mix of high-quality and low-quality services, including "child care deserts" and corporate chains dominating the long-day care sector.
Despite quality issues and rising costs, for-profit operators thrive due to a lack of government planning and a focus on profitability.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
