Australia: Labor calls on ACCC to stop childcare merger

The federal opposition has taken the unusual step of writing to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to try to prevent a merger between two outside-school-hours care providers, saying a merger would drive up costs for parents and lead to lower-quality care.

The commission has been reviewing the effect of the proposed merger between Camp Australia and Junior Adventures Group, which both provide before and after school care, as well as holiday care at primary schools.

In February, Camp Australia and its 750 services across Australia were bought by the foreign hedge fund Bain Capital in Boston. Bain is now looking to its business merge with Junior Adventures Group, which operates about 400 sites around Australia. The move would give it control of about one quarter of the outside-school-hours care market nationally.

On Tuesday the opposition’s early childhood education spokeswoman, Kate Ellis, called on the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to step in and prevent the buy-up.

Full Content: ABC News

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