Foreign nannies not the answer: Shorten

Foreign nannies paid as little as $250 a week are not the answer to limited child care and rising costs, federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says.

The Productivity Commission has suggested that extending the length of working visas for live-in nannies from overseas could help tackle the childcare shortage.

Mr Shorten says that's not the way to solve the big challenges in child care.

"I think what we need to do is make sure it's properly funded, that people can afford to pay it, that the fees aren't getting out of control and of course its good quality for our kids," he told the Nine Network on Sunday.

Social Services Minister Scott Morrison says the government will examine the Productivity Commission's recommendations.