PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms AMBIHAIPAHAR (Barton) (12:32): I move: That this House: (1) commends the Government for locking in the 15 per cent pay rise for early childhood educators, investing a further $3.6 billion over the next two years; (2) recognises that this will benefit more than 200,000 educators, who had been undervalued for too long, and the families and children who rely on them every day; (3) acknowledges that, combined with minimum wage increases, a typical full-time educator will earn around $255 a week more since the Government's first pay-rise, and an early childhood teacher around $410 a week more; (4) welcomes investment that helps keep early learning both affordable and safe, by linking services funding eligibility to a cap on fee increases and a requirement to meet the national safety standard; and (5) further commends the Government for: (a) valuing early educators who do some of the most important work in the country; (b) helping both workers and families with the cost of living; and (c) building the early education system children deserve.
In her inaugural Press Club address, Senator Hanson gave us a very long list of grievances. Many of them did not sit right with me, but one in particular stood out, her attack on early childhood educators. From Senator Hanson's remarks, it sounded very much like she wants to take us back to a time when so-called child-rearing and housework were seen not as essential labour but as things that women were simply expected to do by virtue of being women.
Need I remind members that this is the same Senator Hanson who once said, 'You have the equipment; that's what you're here for,' when explaining why women should not be able to access paid parental leave. Newsflash, Senator Hanson—women and men can, and should, raise children. I know this because I was raised by my uncle.
Senator Hanson should also understand that a child's first five years are absolutely essential in setting them up for the rest of their lives. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has long found that early childhood education plays a very critical role in breaking cycles of socioeconomic disadvantage. It helps develop children's social skills, emotional wellbeing and confidence, and it helps prepare them for a successful transition into school.
Those benefits are even stronger when children from different backgrounds are able to learn together in the same preschool program. But these benefits do not just happen by magic. They happen because of trained, skilled and dedicated early childhood educators.
So much for Senator Hanson's claim that early educators do not need to go to university. These workers are teaching our children at one of the most important and formative stages of their lives. Of course they need to be trained.
Of course their work requires skill. Of course their work deserves respect. And, accordingly, they also need to be paid in a way that recognises that skill and supports talented educators to stay in the workplace and helps them pay the bills for their own families.
That is why locking in the 15 per cent pay rise for early childhood educators is so important. As this motion notes, a full-time educator will earn around $225 a week more. That is real money.
It means being able to cover groceries, rent and bills without falling behind. It means a fairer wage for people doing some of the most important work in our community. And this investment does not just support educators; it supports families too.
Funding eligibility is linked to a cap on fee increases, helping keep early learning affordable. It is also linked to services meeting the national safety standard, helping ensure children are learning in environments that are safe, professional and properly supported. One comment on a post about these pay rises has really stuck with me.
Sarah, an early childhood educator, said: What's more upsetting is that people forget we are the ones teaching children the most important foundational life skills at such a young age. Sometimes we spend more time with these children than their own parents. We play such a huge role in their development, and for that reason alone, we deserve far more support, respect and recognition than we currently receive.
Sarah's right. Early childhood educators are not babysitters. They are not an afterthought.
They are not people doing work that should be dismissed or diminished. They are educators. They are skilled workers.
They are part of the foundation of our educational system. For too long, because this has been a workforce dominated by women, their work has been undervalued and underpaid. This pay rise helps change that.
It says that caring for children is real work. It says that educating children is skilled work. It says that people who help raise, teach and support our youngest Australians deserve respect, security and a wage they can live on.
That is why I'm so proud to support locking in this 15 per cent pay rise for early childhood educators. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): Is the motion seconded? Mr Soon: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.