New hope for Aussie parents struggling with child care costs

Emma and Stephen Varney were finding it near impossible to juggle work, their mortgage and the cost of child care for their two girls, Jade and Chloe.

"When we reached our cap and were going to have to start paying $800 a week, that was so stressful." Mrs Varney told A Current Affair. 

"If you add our mortgage on to that, we wouldn't be able to put food onto the table at all. I would have to start working two jobs and Emma not work at all (to look after the kids). She'd come home with $100, what's the point in that? You're not seeing your kids for 100 bucks a week." Mr Varney said.

Compare the Australian average to the United Kingdom's. There, it's the equivalent of $26,000 AUD.

In Germany's capital Berlin, child care costs as little as 23 euros ($A34) a month, for five days a week, regardless of parental status or income.

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It's low and middle income families who'll benefit the most.

"Almost one million Australian families will be better off. For many families, the type of assistance we're providing will enable them to decide to work an extra day, or pick up some extra hours, because they know they'll be able to afford the child care bills, rather than run out of child care rebate or subsidy midway through the financial year" The Minister said.

Emma and Steven were lucky, and have found more affordable and flexible family day care for their girls.

"We were stressed out about it and, and then we just started googling casual child care in Ferntree Gully and we found one. It's a family that run it, a mum and her daughters, who are the child care teachers. It's really great." Mrs Varney said.

For more information on the changes, you can head to this Government website: https://www.education.gov.au/new-child-care-package-families-2-july-2018