Dear Ms Giorgi.

I refer to your request to this department dated 22 February 2017 along
the following lines:

‘Could you please send the latest documents that include information on
the impact on children and families of defunding the Budget Based Program
and moving towards the Jobs for Families Childcare package

If possible, please treat this as an administrative/informal request.
Otherwise please proceed with my request as a formal information request.
‘

In accordance with your wishes, your request will be handled outside the
FOI Act and a reply forwarded to you as soon as possible.

Regards.

Mal Bennett
Senior Government Lawyer
Corporate Legal Team | Child Care, Schools and Corporate Legal
Australian Government Department of Education and Training

Phone: (02) 6121 5161 | Level 10, 50 Marcus Clarke Street Canberra

[1]Please click here if you have any feedback on our legal services

Opportunity through learning

[2]www.education.gov.au

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Important: This transmission is intended only for the use of the addressee
and may contain confidential or legally privileged information. If you are
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and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.

Notice:
The information contained in this email message and any attached files may
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email in error, please notify the sender by contacting the department's
switchboard on 1300 566 046 during business hours (8am - 5pm Local time)
and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments. 

References

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Dear Ms Giorgi,

I have been authorised to provide you with the following departmental
response to your recent request for ‘the latest documents that include
information on the impact on children and families of defunding the Budget
Based Program and moving towards the Jobs for Families Childcare package.’
We are, as requested by you, providing the following information
informally outside the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

‘Attached is the letter provided by Minister Birmingham to every Budget
Based Funding (BBF) service in November 2016 assuring them that services
delivering childcare will be supported by the Department of Education and
Training to successfully transition to the new childcare system. The
letter furthermore assures BBF services whose primary purpose is not
childcare, will be supported by the department to transition to new
funding arrangements so as to continue to operate. Consequently, there is
no intention to defund any BBF services and children and families will
continue to be able to access services currently funded by the BBF
Program.

Every service funded under the Budget Based Funding (BBF) Program that
wanted a visit has received one from consultants Price Waterhouse Coopers
(PWC) or Price Waterhouse Indigenous Consultants (PIC) to help them
understand their unique service and families and to document options to
transition to the new arrangements. These options included the ongoing
funding that will be required by services to have minimal or no impact on
current childcare fees. Every BBF service that wanted it now has a
tailored draft report and an invitation to provide feedback so as to
finalise their report.

Across Australia, the BBF Program supports some 23,000 children attend a
range of services - as set out in the table below and also available on
our website at
[1]https://docs.education.gov.au/system/fil...

To ensure the Minister’s commitment of continued operation of all BBF
services beyond the introduction of the Jobs for Families Package, the PWC
and PIC consultancy has worked collaboratively with each service to
determine the implications of the package on their service and to develop
plans and support transition to new funding arrangements.

[2]cid:image004.png@01D2A16B.D5930380

Regards.

Mal Bennett
Senior Government Lawyer
Corporate Legal Team | Child Care, Schools and Corporate Legal
Australian Government Department of Education and Training

Phone: (02) 6121 5161 | Level 10, 50 Marcus Clarke Street Canberra

[3]Please click here if you have any feedback on our legal services

Opportunity through learning

[4]www.education.gov.au

[5]Indigenous pictorial signature block_Original Design

Important: This transmission is intended only for the use of the addressee
and may contain confidential or legally privileged information. If you are
not the intended recipient, you are notified that any use or dissemination
of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone
and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.

Notice:
The information contained in this email message and any attached files may
be confidential information, and may also be the subject of legal
professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use,
disclosure or copying of this email is unauthorised. If you received this
email in error, please notify the sender by contacting the department's
switchboard on 1300 566 046 during business hours (8am - 5pm Local time)
and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments. 

References

Visible links
1. https://docs.education.gov.au/system/fil...
3. http://dnet.hosts.network/education/Reso...
4. http://www.education.gov.au/