The politics of child care under the Labor governments of the 1980s and early 1990s presented a distinct contrast with previous administrations. Under the Whitlam and Fraser governments, interest in and debate about child care was largely confined to women's organisations, child care lobby groups and a small number of government members and public servants with a direct interest in the area. In a very real sense, child care was marginal to the main policy agendas of both the Whitlam and Fraser governments (even though it featured as an electoral issue for the Whitlam government).

Following the advent of the Hawke government in 1983, the level of interest in child care policy and provision greatly intensified. Steps were taken towards integrating child care with key areas of government policy, notably labour market strategies and social security reform. Even more significantly, under the Accord negotiated between the government and the trade union movement, child care was defined as an important part of the social wage. The Children's Services' Program became of interest to far more community groups, trade unions, government ministers and departments than ever before.