QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WALSH (Victoria—Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth) (14:29): Thank you, Senator Tyrrell, for your question and for your advocacy on behalf of Australia's early childhood educators. On this side of the chamber, we support the early education workforce. They are skilled professionals and they do vital work.

This morning I joined Minister Clare and Minister Rishworth at Goodstart Isaacs, and we met educators Kath, Purvan and Taylor, who told us our 15 per cent pay rise recognises the important work they do in giving children a great start in life. For too long under the coalition, low wages were pushing good educators out of the jobs that they loved. When we first came to government, the workforce was in crisis.

Educators were leaving the sector in droves. They loved their jobs, but love just didn't pay the bills. That's why we delivered this 15 per cent pay rise, and today we've introduced legislation to lock it in.

It means real change for this female dominated workforce. For a typical full-time educator, it means an extra $255 a week. It helps them pay the rent.

It helps them pay the bills, save a little and plan for the future. The pay rise is working. Since we announced it, 20,000 more workers have joined the sector, and job vacancies are down by 31 per cent.

This is great for children because we know how important it is that they see the same faces in early learning every week. It's good for families because the pay rise is tied to a cap on fee increases too, and it's also tied to meeting the national safety standards. That matters too, because quality early learning starts with valuing our educators.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Tyrrell, first supplementary?