Australian parents are protesting the rising cost of child care in the country. Reports said that the cost of child care went up 11 per cent in the past 12 months.

To address the problem, the parents called for a funding overhaul. United Voice, a national early childhood union, said that the average cost of childcare is now $70.29 a day from $63.21

By state, the largest increase was in Tasmania which rose 16 per cent to $73.62 daily. However, the most expensive is in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) where parents have to shell out $82.43 per day, which is a 9 per cent hike.

After ACT came Victoria at $74.95 and Northern Territory at $73.39.

The figures were based on a study prepared by the union which listed fees at childcare centres in the country.

The union said the 50 per cent childcare rebate for working parents, capped at $7,500 annually, is no longer sufficient to meet needs. Only 782,000 families receive the rebate.

"The funding model introduced by the Howard government is broken. It's time for a new funding system because without renewed government intervention the crisis can only worsen," Sue Lines, the national secretary of United Voice said in a statement.

Brad Lauder, the co-founder of the Web site The Bub Hub, disclosed that it is not just the escalating cost of childcare which is a problem of Australian parents but also the lack of such services that there are times when parents need to camp out overnight to get into a kindergarten or preschool.

Minister for Childcare Kate Ellos said despite the complaints of Aussie parents, the federal government made available record levels of financial support and have invested $22.3 billion in early childhood education and care over the next four years.