Nicole Ferraris poses and her son Sascha know the disruption of a childcare centre closing down.

Families brace for more childcare centre collapses

Melbourne’s wealthier suburbs,where supply outstrips demand,are most at risk of centre closures,experts say.

  • Noel Towell andNicole Precel

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Australians tell us what they think of the federal budget.

We asked what you thought of the budget. Here’s what you said

We asked these Australians to tell us what they thought of the budget. Here is what they said.

  • Daniel Lo Surdo,Brittany Busch,Riley Walter,Hannah Kennelly,Alexander Darling,Cassandra Morgan andJessica McSweeney
Genius Childcare director Darren Misquitta.

Childcare millionaire’s $94,000 grocery bill and $10 million tax debt

The embattled Genius Childcare boss and the companies he controls have racked up debts that might top $38 million,including with supermarket giant Coles and Nova radio station.

  • Noel Towell
Genius childcare.

Perth daycares shut by mass walkout over unpaid wages,super

Families across Perth were left in the lurch on Monday after educators quit over months of late wages and unpaid super,with their union taking legal action.

  • Emma Young
Samantha’s kids were in a Genius childcare,they’ve just pulled their kids out because it is not opening as the management aren’t paying staff.

‘Crumbling’ childcare chain leaves parents in the lurch,staff unpaid

Creditors are circling national chain Genius Childcare as educators refuse to show up and parents are left stranded without care.

  • Nicole Precel andNoel Towell
Some parents have no option but a childcare centre.

To win parents’ votes,put their kids first – with childcare that hits home

There’s evidence that children aged under three are more stressed in childcare centres than at home. Working parents need options.

  • Parnell Palme McGuinness
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The Duttons’ empty trust fund could have cut their tax bill. Here’s how it worked

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has revealed his family’s trust holds no assets after being used for years in property transactions.

  • James Massola andPenry Buckley
The study found women were less likely to have children if their mothers had not reached pension age,but the timing of their father’s retirement had no impact on starting a family.

The grandma penalty:Women delay families when their mothers keep working

Government leg-ups help,but the high cost of formal childcare in Australia meant the availability of family members to babysit was still important.

  • Millie Muroi
Children play in a place at Woodlands Early Learning Centre.

Yoga,robotics,pottery:The three-year-olds getting better perks than you

Competition between childcare centres and parents’ appetite for “holistic advancement” for their children is driving offerings upmarket at daycare facilities.

  • Nicole Precel
The PC’s childcare report has raised questions about funding.

The WA families living in ‘childcare deserts’

Families across the state are struggling to enrol their children in childcare,with just one spot at most available for every three who need it in the worst impacted areas.

  • Holly Thompson