Welcoming The Babies & National Family Day Wayne Swan - Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services , Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives

Radio Interview with Gareth McCray

Transcript - Radio 2SM - 25 May 2003

E & OE - PROOF ONLY

McCRAY: Welcoming the Babies is now in its fourth year and this particular day is designed to welcome new babies into the Northside community in Brisbane and recognise the special efforts of parents in bringing up children. I have Uncle Wayne; Wayne Swan is on the line. G'day Wayne.

SWAN: G'day Gareth, how you going?

McCRAY: What is Welcoming the Babies for our friends who are listening right across the network? What is the purpose of the event?

SWAN: The purpose is to acknowledge that the birth of a child is important to the whole community. Also, to acknowledge that the role of parenting is probably the most important job anyone can do. After all, parents and guardians are bringing up the next generation of young Australians. Therefore our future is in their hands. So what we do today is to get together and acknowledge that fact. Today I'm also suggesting that we should give some serious consideration to - instead of having the Queen's Birthday - celebrate National Family Day on that day. I think there's a hunger in Australian community to acknowledge the role that parents play and also as a community to say we support the parents who are bringing up the next generation of young Australians, because they're doing a vital job for all of us.

McCRAY: You're right Wayne. There are so many ways the family is under attack these days. Fragmenting of the family, economic woes, social woes even split ups. We really are at a crossroads where the family needs some sort of enshrinement to acknowledge its importance and to continue it into the next 50 to 60 years.

SWAN: Families come in different shapes and sizes but there's no doubt that they are under tremendous economic and social pressure. They're being squeezed financially and also squeezed time wise. It's a lot harder these days. We live in a much more complex society. And in that society I think we ought to acknowledge that parents are doing perhaps the most difficult job there is. They need our support. Parents are bringing up the next generation who will be responsible for looking after us in the 21^st century. It's not just about those people who have children, it's about all of us in society acknowledging that those people who are caring for children are doing a vital job for all of us.

McCRAY: Most definitely. That includes foster parents a well.

SWAN: Certainly. It includes a great range of people. It includes grandparents. There are many grandparents these days who are looking after grandchildren. There are many foster parents. There are many shapes and sizes of families and we have to acknowledge the role that they play in caring for our children will have a dramatic impact on the character of the country.

The foundation of fairness in a society is really laid in the early years of a child's life. If the care in the early years of a child's life is not good, then the chances of that child growing up to be a healthy, well-adjusted individual contributing to society are dramatically lessened. So the care in those early years is something we've got to put a lot of attention into.

That's why for example I talk a lot about parenting education. These days many parents are isolated in their community. Whether they're in the middle of a big city or in the middle of a country town, they don't necessarily know the people who live next door, don't necessarily have those social support networks, that perhaps you and I Gareth took for granted when we grew up. So they're isolated and they need a lot more support.

McCRAY: Wayne if you can compare when you were a young teenager with your family as opposed to your own children where they are young teenagers and you're the dad, can you divorce yourself from this involvement and say ‘it was different then when I was young teenager with my father than it is today with the pressure and greater demands, challengers greater, society not necessarily as fair, making families feel as valued?

SWAN: It is a much more dangerous society that our children are growing up in. It's a much more insecure society that our children are growing up in. I've got an 18 year old and she was in the city not too long ago and had her drink spiked. That was never heard of when I was knocking around as a kid. The amount of traffic on the road for example is more of a clear and present danger to our children these days. We do live in a more insecure, faster society and that puts a lot more pressure on families.

My dad did work weekends because he worked two jobs to get ahead. There's a lot more families doing that today. But in those days my mum stayed at home and dad worked two jobs. These days you've got a lot of families where not only dad is working two jobs, mum may be as well. Just to get ahead or to keep their head above water. It's a society in which the pressures are greater, particularly the time pressures. The pressure between work and family - it's increasingly difficult to be a good parent and a good worker these days because there's a much bigger clash between the two. I think increasingly it's more difficult to see the way ahead for our kids.

Look for example at the increasing costs of education. When families are having a child they have to contemplate what they may pay if they aspire for their children to attend university – there's a much bigger financial barrier in that regard. I also think material prosperity doesn't always transfer to human happiness. I sometimes wonder whether we don't give enough account in our life to the vital human things that make up our quality of life, as opposed to just the financial things.

McCRAY: Chasing the dollar can be a big mistake?

SWAN: Many people have to chase the dollar because the industrial relations system is much more deregulated these days so the certainty of a fair days pay for a fair days work isn't there like it used to be for many workers. These are all things that impact on family life. Which is why work and family is such a critical topic in our national political life.

McCRAY: With the Welcoming the Babies event today Wayne, what is to occur? What's going to happen? You've got quite a lot of babies coming along.

SWAN: It's not about kissing babies Gareth. It's about acknowledging the role of parents and children in our society. It's about getting all the service providers from the local community to come along and provide information to parents. We give them a pack from local businesses. Golden Circle for example, is a supporter this year. They make a lot of baby food and that's terrific for the producers in Queensland who contribute to Golden Circle. Quest Newspapers locally are sponsoring it. We've got other commercial organisations providing material. So we give families a pack, we give them a lot of information. And we just say ‘well done thanks for what you do for the future of the country.'

McCRAY: It's going to be a good day. I'm going to ask you a political question at the end of it if you don't mind but we won't dwell on the politics of it. Would this part of an ALP agenda to invest more money up front in supporting families and strengthening the link with local services?

SWAN: Absolutely. If we had less disadvantage children in this society, we would have less disadvantaged adults. We can have a fundamental impact on how our society is and how cohesive it is, if we put a lot more attention into the early years of the child's life. Which means giving parents more support, acknowledging the vital role of the early years. Providing early assistance program to families with young children. That's very much my passion in political life.

McCRAY: Is there any chance that Welcoming the Babies, which is now in it's fourth year in your area, could potentially move around the country.

SWAN: I would hope so. I would hope it would spring up all over the country. I would also hope that we could have some consideration into having a national Family Day. So instead of the Queen's Birthday long weekend, we could have Family Day just like we celebrate ANZAC Day and Australia Day. Family Day is about the community. ANZAC Day and Australia Day are really about our nationhood and we really need a day dedicated to the foundation of what strong communities are, which is strong families. Those people out there looking after the next generation of young Australians, they will make this country what it will be in the 21^st century.

McCRAY: Good on you Wayne.

SWAN: Great to talk to you, Gareth

McCRAY: You too my friend. Wayne Swan making a lot of sense there.

End