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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Rafqa Touma, Stephanie Convery and Jonathan Barrett

Rising fees and staff shortages: why Australian childcare is in crisis – and how to fix it

Two children play with blocks
Australia’s childcare sector is made up mainly of centres run by small-scale operators. Composite: Guardian design/Getty images

Childcare fees are rising faster than inflation, staff shortages are stretching centres to capacity, and a third of Australians live in a childcare “desert” where children outnumber available places by a ratio of at least three to one.

According to experts, the sector’s business model is to blame.

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