According to the Unicef report, Where do rich countries stand on child care?, only Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway and Slovenia provide free access for children under three.
When considering multiple factors, such as the quality, affordability and accessibility of early childhood education and care, it ranks Luxembourg, Iceland and Sweden as having the best childcare policies. Australia is ranked 37th of the 41 countries surveyed.
The federal government has directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to hold an inquiry into ECEC prices. An Australian Productivity Commission inquiry into the early childhood education and care sector began in March and is due to present a draft report to the government in November and a final report by 30 June 2024.
