BG - the site said 'starting up a business' counts towards being qualified.. most people aren't earning anything when starting up a business? And even looking for work - or do you have to be on the dole for that?
nope, no need to be on income support - BUT you do have to be working or actively looking for work at least 15 hours per week. i'll admit it is rarely checked, but sometimes it is, so you HAVE to keep a diary of it, cos if you're found to say you're doing X and on checking you're not, they will make you pay it all back!

So, now I know to look out for Approved centres rather than Registered centres (at least until i start study or work)... so thanks again for the info!
definitely look for approved care - you'll get up to 24 hours of CCB a week if you don't meet the work study training test (the bits i mentioned about 15 hours of whatever) - 50 hours if you do. you ONLY qualify for the CCR if you meet the work study training test, so again, keep a record

the work study training test can be a combination of factors - so if you're studying, you might have one contact day (6 hours), volunteer at the school (4 hours) and study at home (5 hours) per week - that meets it - but keep a really good record! as i said, i am yet to personally see anyone be investigated but it will be happening in the near future as it seems that EVERYONE is getting CCR and i think it's filtering through that some of those people don't qualify kwim?

Thanks for the info about approved and registered care, I'll look this up on the Centrelink website and see if there is anything there that would apply to our situation before I start questioning the preschool. I've been putting off asking the preschool because I didn't want to be the crazy new mum
pfft! it's better to be the crazy new mum that knows where she fits in than the new mum that assumes something and finds out it's all wrong! the child care/preschool deal with these questions all the time, and probably think anyone NOT asking is a little odd...