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Austrian opposition calls for free all-day childcare

Austria's centre-left opposition has renewed calls for free all-day childcare, arguing that documents from the corruption probe into ex-chancellor Sebastian Kurz show he sabotaged a previous effort to introduce this.

Published: 21 October 2021 17:12 CEST
Man and child playing with building blocks
Currently, childcare provision varies significantly between Austria's states. Photo: Ketut Subiyano/Pexels

All-day childcare is currently not available for all families in Austria, but the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) is calling for it to be mandated by law for children under three.

 At a press conference on Thursday, Pamela Rendi-Wagner, SPÖ Chairwoman, argued that Austria is lagging behind countries like Germany and Denmark that already provide all-day childcare.

Rendi-Wagner was joined by Lower Austria SPÖ leader Franz Schnabl at the press conference.

Currently, kindergarten in Austria is only mandatory for children from the age of five with a minimum requirement of 20 hours a week, which means many families are left without state-funded childcare in the afternoon.

However, childcare provision varies depending on the state with stark differences between places like Vienna, where parents can access subsidized all-day childcare, and Tyrol, where only the minimum allowance is provided by the government.

READ MORE: How does childcare work in Austria?

The demand for the expansion of childcare by the SPÖ follows recent allegations that former Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) blocked a proposed all day childcare law in 2016.

Rendi-Wagner said: “The expansion [of childcare] would have been an urgently needed step for children, schoolchildren, mothers and families.”

On Twitter, Rendi-Wagner also shared concerns about the amount of money currently being spent on childcare by the federal government.

She said: “Hope a few zeros have been forgotten here. But fear it is a sad reality.”

The SPÖ is now planning to introduce the issue to parliament, at both a state and federal level.

What is the background to the all-day childcare law?

Back in 2016, the Austrian federal government was considering a new law to provide families across Austria with all day childcare by 2020.

However, recently revealed communications between Kurz and Thomas Schmid, then-Secretary General in the Ministry of Finance, show the duo discussed blocking the planned law that was being spearheaded by then-Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner (ÖVP).

READ MORE: Who’s who? The key players in Austrian politics

According to the Kronen Zeitung, Rendi-Wagner says the law was blocked to allow then-Foreign Minister Kurz to pave a way to become Federal Chancellor.

Kurz became Chancellor in December 2017 but he recently resigned amid an investigation into alleged corruption. An explainer article about Kurz’s resignation can be found here.

The cost for the original proposal for all day childcare in 2016 was €1.2 billion.

According to the Austria Press Agency (APA), Austria’s municipalities have since benefited financially from the funds that should have been invested into childcare.

What are the other parties saying about childcare?

On Thursday, Upper Austria’s governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP) and FPÖ leader Manfred Haimbuchner, presented their political guidelines for the next six years. 

Der Standard reports that the plan includes an expansion of childcare in the state by increasing the number of childcare facilities and introducing longer opening times.

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MIGRANT CRISIS

How a change in the profile of asylum seekers is impacting Austria

The number of asylum applications has dropped in Austria, but changes in the profile of those arriving are creating new demands and new policies.

Published: 22 April 2024 16:05 CEST
How a change in the profile of asylum seekers is impacting Austria

Asylum policy is a controversial topic in Austria, especially in an election year. The far-right has been pushing its anti-immigration agenda to gather support ahead of federal elections later this year.

While the sheer number of refugees can shape an election, differences in who those refugees are and where they come from also create challenges and demands for government action.

The profile of those seeking asylum in Austria has changed compared to recent years.

In the first quarter of 2024, almost a third of asylum applications came from children between the ages of zero and seven, as Austrian media has reported.

Around 53 percent of applicants are minors, and the proportion of women seeking asylum has also risen significantly. However, the overall number of asylum applications during the period fell by 32 percent compared to the same period the year before. 

Whereas 2023 most asylum applications in Austria were from males (only around 24 percent of applications were submitted by women), the country is now experiencing the “family reunification” phenomenon. In other words the wifes and children are following to seek protection.

Asylum applicants are still mostly from Syria and Afghanistan – two nationalities with a high chance of obtaining protection in Austria. Only 30 percent of applications from Syrians were rejected, whereas for Afghans 39 percent were refused.

READ ALSO: Border centres and ‘safe’ states: The EU’s major asylum changes explained

What does the change in profile mean for Austria?

One immediate consequence of the influx of children has already been seen in Vienna, the destination of most refugees: the school system is overwhelmed with the new arrivals, as several Austrian newspapers have reported in the last few weeks.

“This is putting such a strain on the system that high-quality teaching is hardly possible any more,” Thomas Krebs, a union representative, told Kurier. According to the report, around 300 children will arrive in Vienna every month, resulting in a need for 140 classes by the end of the school year. 

The Austrian capital was already overwhelmed by a shortage of teachers and an overflow of schoolchildren—particularly since the war in Ukraine, when 4,000 children were integrated into Vienna’s schools from February 2022.

The kids coming from Syria also need more support than merely German classes: “The Syrian children who come to us from refugee camps are a particular challenge for the system. Many are traumatised and often not even literate in their own language,” Krebs said.

He added that children need to spend more time in kindergarten—to learn “the basics, not just the language.” The education expert also believes it’s necessary to invest more in extracurricular activities, where young people can learn German, acquire behavioural skills that are important for school, and learn how to spend their free time meaningfully.

READ ALSO: What’s the reason behind the drop in Austrian asylum seeker claims?

What is Vienna doing?

Vienna’s Department of Education points out that new teachers are being recruited. In the current academic year, 2,400 teachers have been hired, Kurier reported.

Director of Education Heinrich Himmer said: “We support pupils and face the challenges together so that learning and living together work well. I would like to thank everyone who works so hard in Vienna’s schools. However, the responsibility for integration is an all-Austrian one, where solutions exist at the federal level.”

How does family reunification work?

There is a special process for granting family reunification rights for family members of refugees in Austria. 

According to information from the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, if a foreigner has been granted asylum status in Austria, family members can apply for an entry permit at an Austrian representation authority abroad within three months of this status being granted.

If this is granted, they can travel to Austria to apply for asylum in the family procedure and receive the same protection status as the reference person. If the application is only submitted after three months, they must also provide proof of adequate accommodation, health insurance, and income.

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