One does not have to conduct multitudinous studies and surveys to recognise that mothers innately understand and appreciate it is the love and the deep attachment they have to their child which is what makes them the best carer for their children.

Ask any mother (or father for that matter), if they had a choice between putting their child into childcare or them being the principal provider of care to their child, at least until they reach school age, they will resoundingly tell you their preference would be the latter. This is likely more so given the recent horrific and traumatising stories of children being sexually abused in regulated childcare centres.

Such a choice is sadly not one available to the majority of so-called ‘working families,’ a term made popular by then Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, in 2007. Working families are those families with a father, mother and child or children, who due to economic circumstances, have both parents engaged in some form of employment, this could be a combination of both parents in full-time work, or one parent in a full-time job, and the other in a part time/casual position.

Working families rely on childcare and the government-provided childcare rebate which is only accessible to them through their using either for profit and not-for-profit ‘corporatised’ childcare centres. Depressingly, this has become the only means by which working families can maintain employment while having their child cared for.

This has become a vicious cycle, especially for those who are not well off, do not have both or at least one parent in a professional, well-paid role, so as to afford a better standard of care, and do not live in the inner suburbs where childcare availability is usually greater. It is those in the outer, peri-urban suburbs who are getting the raw end of this deal. Childcare availability is often limited in rapidly growing areas, there are long waiting lists, and working families allocate a considerably greater proportion of their after-tax income to paying the mortgage.

Childcare has become a necessary evil, and the limited choice available is surely doing damage to our children and the social fabric. No parent could honestly claim that they think childcare is the best form of care for their child, and no parent would seriously agree that a third-party corporatised provider is the best carer of their child up until school age. For government to maintain such a position, is simply treating working families with contempt.

Those who are fortunate enough can utilise family to help out with childcare such as grandparents and extended family. Even then, a lot is being asked of such family members, who on the whole provide such care willingly, but ostensibly free of charge.

What better way for a political party/government to support this than by championing greater choice in childcare, including allowing working families to spend their childcare rebate how they best see fit, which could include paying grandparents, extended family, near neighbours and yes, even nannies, to provide childcare.

It is by no means a silver bullet, but it is a practical response, which at least seeks to address a problem that has become a nightmare for many working families. No one doubts that are many highly capable and decent people who work in childcare, but it would be of great relief for working families to have their child cared for by someone they know and trust, instead of strangers. There of course will be those who do not have such choice because of their family or social circumstances. However, they would also benefit in the long run, as more people exercised choice, freeing up more places in childcare, and if regulated properly, ensuring an improved quality of care.

All parents are rightly concerned and sceptical of what goes on when they reluctantly leave the welfare of their child in the hands of others. Many working families would at least be grateful for the choice, and as noted there will be those who are thoroughly relieved that the care of their child is no longer at the mercy of institutionalised childcare, allowing them to sleep easier at night. It will also go some way to halting the march of the state in replacing the family.

Repeated claims that there’s no more crucial time for education than in the first five years to justify corporatised child care are fatuous and insulting to all parents. The political party that can make this cause their own would surely be on an electoral winner as it would resonate with working families across Australia.