Labor wants to get more kids into affordable childcare and after-school care so parents can head back to work.
The opposition is keeping the focus on childcare and working families for a second day, announcing $163.2 million for new childcare and after schools hours spots.
"If you talk to parents across this country, especially in areas of high demand, the waiting list is as big a problem as the price of childcare for many parents," Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.
The childcare centre where he made the announcement in Ivanhoe has a three-year waiting list, meaning parents seeking a spot are told there might be one available - for the next child they have.
Labor expects its targeted funding will create about 5000 places across 300 centres in areas with long waiting lists.
After-school care was too often the forgotten part of the childcare picture, education spokeswoman Kate Ellis said.
Many parents had to turn down job opportunities because they couldn't get care for their children once the school bell rang at 3pm, she said.
A Labor government would offer grants of up to $50,000 to create or expand 1200 outside school hours care services.
"The issue about accessibility has been left on the sidelines, completely ignored by this government," Ms Ellis said.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham says Labor is planning to junk work done over the past three years on a new childcare system, ignoring Productivity Commission recommendations.
"Our (policy) is actually about making it easier for people to access places, giving the greatest financial support to those (low and middle income) families to be able to deal with the real cost pressures they face," he told ABC radio.
Labor insists its childcare package will be funded with money already allocated in the federal budget.
But the government argues that its plans for childcare must be partially funded by cuts to family tax benefits that Labor opposes.
