There is uncertainty over whether the federal government will include funding for nannies in its upcoming childcare package.
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As Social Services Minister Scott Morrison prepares a new families policy for release "around" the May budget, there are doubts within the early childhood sector over whether nannies will get the green light.
This week, Mr Morrison told reporters in Tuggerah that while the government was "very interested" in the area of nannies, it was "not rushing in".
"We would proceed very cautiously in this area," he said, noting that there were "a lot of regulatory issues" that need to be addressed.
Mr Morrison has also stressed that the government does not want to "drain" staff away from other childcare providers.
The Productivity Commission recommended the government introduce subsidies for nannies in its report released in February, adding they should come under the existing national quality framework requirements for childcare providers.
The Commission argued this would increase "accessibility and flexibility" of childcare, particularly for families that do shift work or travel long distances for work.
While the government has stressed the need to boost flexibility in the childcare sector for parents, some within the sector now think the Coalition has cooled on the nannies idea.
State governments have expressed strong reservations about regulating nannies, and rolling out a nannies package could be costly and complicated for the federal government.
However, the Coaliton could introduce a nannies policy on a smaller scale than the Productivity Commission recommended.
Consultations are continuing with the childcare sector over the government's families package, where stakeholders have been required to sign strict confidentiality agreements and not discuss the options publicly.
Mr Morrison said the government was having a "fair dinkum" consultation process and had taken the sector into its confidence.
The Social Services Minister said stakeholders were being consulted to ensure the package was practical and could be implemented, explaining the secret nature of the consultations were like an "extended lock up," which is used for sensitive budget measures.
Mr Morrison said he would release the package, which he says will help more families combine work with raising children, "around" the budget on May 12.
This is a slight change in language from the government that had been talking about a release before the budget.
