Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026
Ms CAMPBELL (Moreton) (12:50): Last week I walked into a very special building. It was so special that, to be able to get inside, you had to put in a secret code. It was so special that it had a labyrinth of checkpoints and gates to be able to gain access.
It was so special that the walls were adorned with bespoke and unique creations. It was so special that it houses our country's greatest assets, our children. This was, of course, my local early childhood education centre, and I was with my three-year-old daughter.
When we got through all of those checkpoints, what was abundantly clear is that we were greeted by big, smiling faces. We were greeted by people who were very familiar to her. We were greeted by the people who will fundamentally shape the lives and education of our children.
That's what this bill, the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026, is all about. Early last month, from 3 to 9 August, we recognised Early Learning Matters Week, celebrating something that every parent, grandparent, carer and family understands—that early childhood education matters.
On 2 September we celebrated Early Childhood Educators' Day. Quality early learning helps children develop, learn and thrive. It lays the foundation for future success not only of our kids but of our country, of our community and of our economy.
It is our early learning childhood educators and carers who help our children build the social, emotional and learning skills that will stay with them for life. In recent weeks, I've had the great privilege of visiting a number of early learning centres across the Brisbane southside electorate of Moreton. At C&K Arnwood Place Community Childcare Centre in Ekibin, I met with director Krystal and her team to talk about the crucial role they play in our children's lives and, accordingly, in this nation's future.
I took the Deputy Prime Minister to the Goodstart Early Learning centre in Coopers Plains, and we chatted with director Marita about their learning through play program. I visited Play Patch in Annerly, an early learning centre led by director Ada, to see their fantastic new facilities. Of course, three days a week I visit the C&K in my local community to drop off or pick up my daughter, and director Jessica leads an absolutely wonderful and inspiring team.
I know that she enjoys their fantastic outdoor nature play area more than anything. These centres and many others like them all have something in common. Their early childhood educators and carers are dedicated, bringing passion, professionalism and care to their work and our kids every single day.
They are shaping young lives. They are supporting families and strengthening our communities. In a world where our children are the most important thing, they are the ones who hold the keys to their future and them getting a flying start to life.
That's why, just over two years ago, the Albanese Labor government announced that it would fund a 15 per cent wage increase for these critical workers. This increase not only recognised the value of this work but was designed to fix issues with workforce retention. The rate of staff turnover in centres was having a detrimental effect on the capacity for educators and children to develop stable and consistent relationships, and it also adversely affected the other services on offer.
Early childhood education services were put in the position of limiting enrolments, closing rooms and delaying expansion plans, all because they couldn't retain the staff that they needed. The Albanese Labor government's worker retention payment has turned this around. When I spoke to Michelle, one of the early educators at Arnwood Place, she told me that not only was it a big boost to them and their pay packets and their livelihoods but it also made them feel valued—as our early educators should feel.
The sector has seen significant workforce improvements, with approximately 20,000 additional workers joining the industry, representing an increase of about eight per cent. At the same time, job vacancies have dropped by nearly 31 per cent. That's massive, and it indicates an easing workforce pressure across the sector.
Staffing challenges have also reduced considerably. The proportion of ECEC services operating under a staffing waiver has decreased from 8.9 per cent to 4.3 per cent, reflecting improved workforce availability and greater stability within the services. In addition, fee growth has been more moderate at centres receiving the payment.
Fees at participating services increased at roughly half the rate of those at centres that have not signed up to the program, helping to ease cost pressures for families as well. We know right now that people are doing it tough. Parents are doing it tough, and families are doing it tough.
What this Labor government initiative has done is not only put more money into the pockets of the people educating our greatest resource and our future; it's also been a hip-pocket relief for those who need child care in order to work with their families. On 14 June this year, the Albanese Labor government made the important announcement that we are locking that pay rise in for a further two years.
The Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026 implements this very promise. This legislation is recognition that we need to reinforce the progress that we have already made in bolstering this important sector. It is recognition that we need to back measures that will save families money—around $1,500 over the next two years—and it is ongoing recognition that Labor values early childhood education and carers.
Labor values mean that there has been real change in this sector, Labor values mean that there has been real change for early childhood educators and Labor values mean that we are reforming this sector in a way that will see a better future for our children. The bill amends the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) Act 2024 that I mentioned before, allocating additional funding of $3.6 billion to the special account and extending the sunset date to 31 December 2029.
This is an additional $3.6 billion investment, building on our initial $3.6 billion investment, and what this means for ECEC workers is a significant boost to take-home pay. Combined with the government's support for minimum wage rises, this means that compared to December 2024, when we first introduced the wage increase, a typical full-time educator will earn about $255 more each and every week, and an early childhood teacher will receive about $410 more per week.
This is money that helps change lives and helps give people relief when the chips are down. This funding will remain conditional on participating services committing to keeping fee increases for families at a reasonable level. The bill also establishes a new condition for funding through the wage justice special account.
It reflects this government's drive and ambition to enhance safety and quality in early childhood education and care. The new condition concerns the National Quality Standard. The standard sets that important benchmark for quality across Australia's early childhood education and care sector.
It focuses on ensuring that children receive high-quality education and care through strong educational programs, safe and stimulating learning environments, and qualified and very capable educators. It covers educational programs and practice, children's health and safety, the physical environment and staffing arrangements—all of which contribute to a child's learning, development and wellbeing.
The National Quality Standard also recognises the importance of building respectful relationships with children, fostering partnerships with families and the broader community and ensuring strong governance and leadership within those services. Parents deserve to know that their kids are getting high-quality care. Parents deserve to know that their children are getting a high-quality education that will set them up for the rest of their lives.
Together, these identified quality areas provide a comprehensive framework for continuous improvement. They help to ensure children are cared for in a safe, supportive and high-quality learning environment every day. From July 2027, if services do not meet the standard when it comes to safety, they may lose their funding or have it suspended.
Currently, about 95 per cent of services already achieve this standard, but there is still room for improvement. The goal is to see even more providers meeting this important benchmark. This bill continues the Albanese Labor government's commitment to the early childhood education sector and its commitment to working mums, dads and carers.
Families have been benefiting from Labor's three-day guarantee since January this year. Under this guarantee, every child who needs it is eligible for three days of subsidised early learning each week, no matter what their parents do. This guarantee has meant that 100,000 more families are eligible for three days of subsidised learning.
It is an investment of around $430 million over four years. We're also investing $1 billion through the Building Early Education Fund to build or expand quality not-for-profit early learning services in locations of need, such as outer suburban and regional areas. The 2026-27 budget also included an extra $54.8 million in 2026-27 for the Inclusion Support Program.
This vital program helps eligible ECEC services increase their capacity to support children with additional needs, improving access for all children. As reflected in the new requirement to meet safety standards, our government is focused on improving safety and quality across the sector. There is $188.5 million over four years directed towards this very goal.
It aims to include the establishment of a national educator register, better coordination between regulatory bodies and improved sharing of information to identify and respond to potential risks. It also provides support for educators and service staff to complete mandatory child protection training, a national assessment of the role of CCTV in early learning services and greater transparency for families through improved quality and safety information on the Starting Blocks website.
This will help parents make informed decisions when selecting an early childhood education and care service for their children. There is further funding of $39.3 million to strengthen the working with children check arrangements by addressing existing weaknesses in the system. Related to this is the national continuous checking capability, which will enable jurisdictions to receive near real-time updates on the sustainability of working-with-children-check cardholders across the country.
The Albanese Labor government is committed to the ECEC sector. We're committed to making access easier for families and supporting them with the cost of childcare. We're committed to the national quality standard, and we're committed to paying the crucial educators and carers fairly for their incredibly important work.
As the Minister for Early Childhood Education said, we are putting the building blocks in place right now for a universal early education and care system, and the pay rise is a critical part of that system and that vision. To the educators of Moreton and across the nation, I say thank you.