THE federal Labor Party has announced a plan to slash childcare waiting lists by setting up one-stop shops, which would allow parents to register their child for every childcare centre in their local government area with a single phone call.

At present, parents may sign up for a dozen or more centres in their search for a spot.

The announcement follows criticism by Labor of a federal Treasury report that suggested parents were too choosy and there was no childcare crisis.

Labor spokeswoman for childcare Jenny Macklin said parents knew how time-consuming it was to call up numerous childcare centres to go on their waiting lists.

“If we can get this down to one phone call and one list in every local council area we’ll save parents a lot of time,” Ms Macklin said. “More time spent with your children can only be a good thing.”

The concept is also designed for areas where childcare shortages are at their worst.