Mr SIMMONDS (Ryan) (16:00): Ultimately, I'm pleased that my friend the member for Kingston has brought forward this MPI on child care today, because it allows us in this House the opportunity to interrogate a little bit further a claim that she made during question time, which, now that we have heard from the minister in detail, has been proven to be completely false. The figures that the member for Kingston is using are wrong. The minister spoke about the fact that our independent public servants have looked at the claim and simply can't substantiate it. So, what's the answer to that? She's fudged the figures. She's stuffed them up. She's made them up. Take your pick, because we've got independent public servants who are saying that they don't know how she could possibly have reached that conclusion, not after the Morrison government put $1.6 billion as part of this childcare package on top of the $1 billion the childcare sector is accessing as part of the JobKeeper payment. The claims that the member for Kingston is making about the figures are just wrong. They're simply wrong. The minister said it, the independent public servants verify it, and still— Opposition members interjecting— Mr SIMMONDS: If the member for Kingston still stands by her figures, she might like to go into more detail about how she came to them, because there is an entire department of experts who do this for a living who can't do the same maths as her and who can't get the same figures that she does. I would put it to the House that the reason for that is that she's got her maths wrong. Labor are not allowing facts to get in the way of the story they want to tell. It's important to judge this program by its results, as you should judge all programs and all of the funding that we have put in place to help people through COVID-19. Let's judge it on its results. At a time when restrictions were being put in place, as people were working from home or not working at all and therefore pulling their kids out of child care because it was a cost that they could no longer afford, the childcare sector was in crisis and facing imminent collapse. Instead of that scenario, what have we got? We've got 98 per cent of centres open. Ninety-eight per cent of centres are open and operating for the assistance of their community and to help us as we undertake the economic recovery. Before the package, the sector acknowledged that they were in deep, deep trouble and facing crisis and collapse; on the other side of the package, 98 per cent of centres are still open. It seems like it's hit the mark—very much so. The centres are still operating and underway. What's even more hypocritical about the member for Kingston's claims—and Labor's claims—on this issue is that she stands in this place and says, 'I speak on behalf of parents who would like to put their kids into care so that they can return to work.' Well, I wish she would give that message to her Labor Premier friends around the country, who have been slow and lethargic to reopen schools, as opposed to childcare centres, which have been operating this entire time—these wonderful frontline workers who have been supporting and helping our kids, educating our kids, and looking after our kids throughout the COVID-19 crisis, despite concerns about their own health. In contrast, we've had Labor premiers, despite clear health advice saying that schools are able to open and operate so that parents can get back to work and don't have to homeschool, saying, 'We choose not to take the health advice.' Explain that hypocrisy to me. If she's so concerned about working parents, maybe the member for Kingston would like to stand up and explain why she hasn't fronted up to her Labor premiers and said, 'The health advice is that these schools can be open. Let's get them open.' What you saw with this package is the Morrison government and Minister Tehan acting decisively to support the childcare sector and working families in our electorates around Australia during a time of crisis. They acted decisively. They injected extra funding into the system—$1.6 billion on top of the billion dollars they are accessing via the JobKeeper payment—in order to keep those jobs in place, in order to keep our kids looked after during this global pandemic. (Time expired)