With the childcare sector in crisis, Goodstart had been in talks with the government on accessing the subsidy, worth $1500 a fortnight per employee.
On Sunday night, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced the JobKeeper legislation would make registered charities eligible if they have suffered a 15 per cent decline in turnover.
“This will apply to all registered charities, including those with a turnover of more than $1 billion,” he said.
Mr Frydenberg’s office confirmed Goodstart would be included.
Goodstart chief executive Julia Davidson said the organisation was “very relieved” by the development.
“The Treasurer and the Minister for Education have worked hard in recent days for our centres and our families to ensure they found a solution for us and we thank them for their support,” she said.
“Access to the JobKeeper payments is vital as it will ensure that we can trade through this very difficult time.”
Most of Australia’s 13,000 childcare centres were already eligible for JobKeeper. They are also receiving $1.6 billion over the next three months under a relief package that will make childcare free for all families that need it.
Centres operated by local councils still face uncertainty. The federal government has ruled out giving councils access to JobKeeper and said extra funding would need to come from state and territory governments.
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