Alex Borg defends bishop on childcare comments

Opposition Leader Alex Borg feels the Gozo Bishop was unfairly attacked for his comments on childcare centres but does not agree with placing the blame on parents.  

Last month, Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma was criticised for condemning childcare centres as places parents send their children to “because they have something to do”. 

In an exchange with the MaltaToday newsroom, Borg said it was a shame to see politicians “attack” the bishop for his comments but agreed the problem is not parents but the lack of wider family measures. “I condemn the system that is crumbling,” Borg said. 

Equality Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg was especially critical of Teuma’s comments, as was Energy Minister Miriam Dalli, both of who hailed childcare centres as an important social institution. 

Borg also acknowledged that childcare centres are important and the free childcare scheme was a good initiative, but he also insisted that Teuma meant well with his original comments. “I think he meant that we should help families to enjoy each other more.” 

Borg also said the bishop could have worded his message better. “I still don’t think he deserved those attacks. Those who created the problem should focus on how they’re going to solve it instead of attacking the bishop.” 

Family measures ‘in the coming days’ 

Borg said the Nationalist Party will be announcing new proposals to allow parents to better enjoy the first few years with their child. 

He said these proposals are being finalised and will be announced “in the coming days”. 

The PN has already proposed increasing paternity leave from 10 to 15 days and maternity leave from 18 to 24 weeks. The party also proposed extending parental leave from eight to 28 weeks, equally divided between both parents and non-transferable to promote shared responsibility. 

Borg had also announced that a PN government would introduce a new tax bracket for parents that would grant €8,500 to families when they have a second child. This was suggested before the Budget 2026 that saw the government introduce tax cuts for parents. 

Another family-friendly PN proposal is a Child Trust Fund that would see a Nationalist government gift every child an investment policy with initial capital of €5,000.  

There has been an increased focus on family-friendly measures after both the finance minister and the archbishop warned of falling fertility rates and a resulting “ethnic extinction” for the Maltese. 

Since then, the government introduced sweeping income tax cuts for parents, particularly those with two or more children. Under the new measures, parents with two or more children will, by 2028, pay no income tax on the first €30,000 of earnings.  

However, the Malta Women’s Lobby argued early in 2025 that tax breaks would be insufficient unless paired with broader reforms addressing work-life balance and gender equity.