What do you think of this idea?

[freakiness]

Asian Nannies at half the price.

An no, it's not an April Fools joke, that articles are dated 29/3.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/asian-nannies-one-answer-to-childcare-costs-20140328-35olr.html#poll

The cost of childcare has been a political bugbear for more than a decade. But a submission to a crucial government inquiry into childcare has come up with a novel solution: low-cost Asian nannies.

The Indonesia Institute, a Perth-based think tank, says carers from countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines should be allowed to come to Australia and mind children for $200 a week to help ease pressure on family budgets.

Families would provide their Asian child carers with accommodation, clothing and medical insurance. The nannies would also be entitled to Sundays off and a return airfare home for two weeks each year.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

I don't know what wage is being proposed but Medibank Private basic cover for young singles is $16.37 per week (for those living in NSW it may vary for other States) I wouldn't have thought that was prohibitive extra.

http://www.medibank.com.au/healthcover/singles-insurance/

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oh. That's not too bad. I was thinking it must be closer to $50ish a week. I.e.$200 a month. I'm not with that company but pay about $330 a month for family, and that's top extras, but not top hospital.

The thing with healthcare plan though is that most have a waiting period, so when the nanny was inbetween jobs, are they responsible for their own health insurance to keep it "up to date"?

Also, a lot of what is covered kicks in AFTER the medicare rebate has been applied. Would these nannies now be entitled to Medicare?

[izabsmiling]

Re 19 .Sorry some of that isn't how it appears prior to posting.ie; the positioning of a link and the wording .

I know there is a lot there .There is a lot to take into account.

If it was all crystal clear,straighforward and transparent ...the need for so much input to be considered wouldn't be as high as it is.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

But unlike 457, these nannies would not be paid award wages.

The idea is on the next rung down from slave labour.

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I agree - I think, but am interested to explore more.

$200 "cash" after living expenses isn't too shabby, is it?

I mean, it must cost $50 - $70 a week in board, electricity, water., then another $50 in food - clothes? (I bought one of mine 4 outfits (jeans/long pants, t shirts and L/S shirts) and it was about $400, undoubtedly, most people would need seasonal clothes, so would cost a lot more than that, wouldn't it?

Does each employer have to give them a whole new wardrobe?

Then add healthcare, and I am reasonably sure that I have been pretty frugal with most of those estimates, so they might be a bit more?

How much is the base wage for a nanny these days?

I think you would be "heading up there" to similar wages.

BUT, in saying that, the underlying message there is to "bring in O/S labour cos it's cheap and we can take advantage of them".

We had 3 different nannies (not all at the same time)

1) excellent, young girl, about 20, from an agency.

2) live in nanny/housekeeper - she was "good"

3) an older lady who was just lonely really, and missed her own grandkids, so treated my kids as her own grandchildren.

If we are going to "bring people in from overseas", couldn't we look to some program for people like my #3? There must be more people out there like that than our Norma.

[izabsmiling]

Families would provide their Asian child carers with accommodation, clothing and medical insurance. The nannies would also be entitled to Sundays off and a return airfare home for two weeks each year.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/asian-nannies-one-answer-to-childcare-costs-20140328-35olr.html#ixzz2...

it's incredible 

[fourandsixpants]

to isab.

....re. "The current system is causing too much stress on families when there's

two working parents,.....   (because they HAVE to both work to pay)

a mortgage

and when children are young. It's a stressful time and it never gets busier,'' she said."....

......there's the problem.

Using a 'bandaid' -bringing in 457 childcare workers, which just causes MORE probs is not the answer.

RELEASE MORE LAND

INTRODUCE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

ORDER/LEGISLATE the banks to offer cheaper first mortgages

[icyfroth]

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@icyfroth wrote:

Women should stay at home and care for their own children, at least until they're school age. If childcare becomes any more expensive, only the highly paid executive types would find it worthwhile going out to work.

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Women of calibre will always be women of calibre. They don't have to stay out of the workforce or even enter it. They can raise their children and return to the workforce when the children are of school age.

Not every woman in the workforce is a high-career woman. Many women would dearly love to stay at home to take care of their own children but feel under social or peer pressure to join the workforce.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@freakiness wrote:

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

But unlike 457, these nannies would not be paid award wages.

The idea is on the next rung down from slave labour.

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It will damage the local nanny industry for sure and basically give those with spare rooms cheap child care while the rest still have to pay big dollars for it.  Plus it will further drive down wages for those already on low wages.

Some obviously don't place a lot of value on those who care for the children.

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I don't think it is so much that, but rather the wage they earn themselves.

What's the base take home wage these days?

We didn't use nannies to be "posh", we used them because childcare centres simply weren't open when we had to work.

How much is child care a day now if it doesn't attract any subsidies?

...................................

In considering all that though, one of the benefits of having a nanny/housekeeper was I think it was better for the child. If we worked early, the kids didn't need to be woken up or if we worked late, they could still go to bed at "the normal time" iykwim, lots of other things like that.

You see kids these days, go to day care as parent is on the way to work at 8am, and then picked up at 5 or 6 on the way home. by the time they get home and have dinner, baths etc, it's nearly bed time, Any time they could be spending with their parents is consimed by travelling time and basic living "chores" iykwim.

Plus I also think, that kids need to go to kinder some days a week - at least for a few hours. By the time they start school, it is expected that they've been socialized etc. So you still have to add these costs onto the cost of the nanny/employee.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@azureline** wrote:

maybe it is? I can't help thinking about slavery 😞 and 1 day off a week? do they have to live in an attic or a basement too?

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only one day?

yep, smack the people in the face with a wet fish who came up with this plan!

it does reek of slavery, eh?

[freakiness]

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@icyfroth wrote:

Women should stay at home and care for their own children, at least until they're school age. If childcare becomes any more expensive, only the highly paid executive types would find it worthwhile going out to work.

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Why should they stay at homr until their children are school age?

SHould maternity leave cover 5 years leave?

Should their partner not have the choice to care for the children?

[icyfroth]

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@freakiness wrote:

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@icyfroth wrote:

Women should stay at home and care for their own children, at least until they're school age. If childcare becomes any more expensive, only the highly paid executive types would find it worthwhile going out to work.

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Why should they stay at homr until their children are school age?

If they're finding child care too expensive and positions hard to get, it's natural alternative.

SHould maternity leave cover 5 years leave?

No I don't think so. It's a fallacy to think people are so irreplacable their position needs to be kept open until they're finished childbearing and -reariing. Women of calibre should have no problem re-entering the workforce.

Should their partner not have the choice to care for the children?

Sure, no argument. That would be a personal matter, of course.

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