QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WALSH (Victoria—Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth) (14:25): Families want a quality early learning system that they can rely on, but you can't have a quality early learning system without a quality workforce. The pay rise means educators can afford to stay in the jobs they love. Since it was announced, job vacancies are down by almost a third in this sector.

Staffing waivers are down by 40 per cent. And here's what that really means for a million Australian families: it means a greater chance that your child will have the same educator at the end of the year as they did at the start. It means your child can have a favourite educator that they know and love—the same face there every day, the same educator who knows what your child needs.

It means children feel safe, and, when they feel safe, they feel ready to learn. That's what happens when you respect early educators, when you pay them fairly and when you back workers, because when you back workers you also back families, and that's exactly what we're doing. (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Darmanin, second supplementary?