More places simple as ABC

HAPPY CHILDREN: Some of these children enjoying the play facilities at Kissing Point Cottage in Sydney may benefit from new child care arrangements from July 1.

Photo: ABPH David McMahon

By PTE John Wellfare

More child care places will be available to Defence families when ABC Corporate Care takes up the Defence child care contract on July 1, 2005.

New Defence child care centres will be established and Defence families will also have priority access to ABC Corporate Care’s 650 childcare centres throughout Australia. More Defence-specific and ABC child care centres are envisaged for areas such as Newcastle, Adelaide, Laverton, Far North Queensland, Darwin, Wagga and Wodonga, among others.

Director General DCO Janet Stodulka said the transfer from the existing child care provider, KU Children’s Services, to the new provider would be as seamless as possible.

Defence has confirmed that existing salary sacrificing arrangements for child care at all Defence centres will still be available after ABC Corporate Care takes over in July.

The company is also currently negotiating with the Australian Tax Office to make salary sacrificing available to Defence members with places in Defence/ABC centres throughoput Australia when they come on line.

ABC will provide a national freecall so Defence families can access vacancies in all ABC child care centres.

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