Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026
Senator DARMANIN (Victoria—Deputy Government Whip in the Senate) (12:50): In listening to the debate today, I think it's been really nice to hear, across the chamber, the support and respect that early childhood educators have commanded across the board. Some bills perhaps are not so exciting to talk about in this place, but today's bill is one that I am certainly very proud to speak to.
It is one that is personal, because it impacts lots of people that I know and because it is about delivering and supporting equity for a largely female dominated workforce that, for too long, have been undervalued for the skill, professionalism and dedication that they bring to this important work. It is also a practical demonstration of what this government stands for when it comes to delivering for working women and their families in this country.
Between the ages of three and five is one of the most formative developmental periods of a child's life. In the short space of just two years, children begin to dress and feed themselves. They begin to copy letters and write their names for the first time, and their emotional regulation improves.
They learn to recognise when someone is hurt and how to comfort them. They enjoy playing with other children, and they learn to cooperate with their peers, and, as we heard from Senator Whiteaker earlier, they might learn important skills like brushing their teeth without having a meltdown. In my case, one of the things that I will be forever grateful for from the early childhood educators that were in my family's life is helping the team at home teach our kids how to toilet train.
In short, between the ages of three and five children, develop many of the skills they will need to become happy, healthy and engaged members of our society. The vital role that early childhood educators and carers play during this pivotal stage of our children's lives cannot be overstated or that of the broader family and communities within which they live. They help shape these years, and that is why I, along with the Albanese Labor government, am very proud to stand here today to support this bill, which extends the 15 per cent pay rise for more than 215,000 educators and locks that support in until June 2028.
These are the workers that we trust to nurture, guide and care for our children through some of the most foundational years of their lives. They deserve to be recognised, and they deserve to be better paid. The principle really is that simple.
If you want to attract the best possible quality early childhood educators, then you need to pay them what they're worth. Our government needs to recognise that and fund them for what they are worth. If you want to retain these early childhood educators, then you need to pay them what they are worth so that they can stay and build a satisfying career in the sector that they love and that we so desperately need them to stay in.
If we want a strong, stable and highly skilled workforce that delivers the best possible outcomes for children, then we need to pay them what they're worth. We need to recognise that caring work is skilled work, we need to recognise that caring work requires high levels of training, and we need to recognise that caring work is professional work. I know these educators.
I know very, very many of them, but one of them I know very well, and that is my sister Erin, who has worked as an early childhood educator for more than 20 years. The work that she does, along with all of her colleagues, is incredibly important. Every day she helps children build confidence, curiosity and independence.
The work that she does requires skill, patience, expertise and enormous dedication. She has spent decades helping children learn and grow while also supporting families at some of the busiest and most challenging times of their lives. What hasn't been spoken about so much in this debate is that the work is also physical work.
There is physical labour involved, and it takes a toll for many of the workers who work in the sector for many, many years. Educators like Erin have also become an important part of a children's extended family as they are part of an important care team that looks after children in those first early years. Yet work like this has too often been undervalued because it is work predominantly undertaken by women.
If we truly value the contribution educators make to our children and communities, then that value must be reflected not only in our words but in their pay and conditions. Early childhood educators like my sister should know and feel that their work is valued, that their work is respected and that their work is fairly remunerated. We in this place need to ensure that the workforce sees early childhood education and care as a rewarding and long-term career option.
I am so proud of my sister, and this government is proud to stand beside her, her colleagues and all early childhood education workers. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit Goodstart Pakenham and meet the educators working there every day to support the local children and their families. I was struck by a few people I met on that day, in particular Alice Spaulding, who is a dedicated centre manager and who cares deeply about providing an excellent service for the families in her local community.
She was a real standout—passionate, dedicated and highly, highly skilled. Like all centres that I visit, Goodstart Pakenham is a vibrant centre. The children are curious and engaged.
The educators are passionate about their work, and you really get a sense of fun when you go and visit. But, of course, it's a lot of hard work and a lot of skill that makes that environment seem fun for the kids. Many of the workers at Goodstart Pakenham have worked there long enough to see the children that they once educated go through school and university and then return to the centre to become an educator themselves.
That speaks volumes about the impact that these educators have on a community. Pakenham is a growing area, and demand for services continues to increase. Early childhood education is not immune from those pressures, yet the quality of education being delivered at Goodstart Pakenham is very clear.
Children are leaving the service at four or five years of age, already reading and writing. They are confident, they are capable and they are ready for school. I also want to particularly acknowledge Selma Wong, who was named Goodstart Educator of the Year in 2024, who I met and who is an outstanding advocate for her colleagues and her profession.
The reality, however, is that, while important progress has been made, early childhood education remains a highly feminised industry. Too often, feminised industries have not been valued in the same way as other professions. For generations, work that has traditionally been undertaken by women has been underpaid and undervalued despite requiring significant skill, training, responsibility and emotional labour.
That needs to change. Workers should not be paid less because they are women, nor should they be valued less because their work has been historically seen as women's work. When we value early childhood educators properly, we are not simply lifting wages.
We are recognising expertise and we are showing respect to the work that they do. We are recognising responsibility. We are recognising the profound contribution these workers make to our economy, our communities and the next generation of Australians.
Quality early learning starts with skilled, qualified educators. Every day they help children learn, grow and prepare for school. Every day they support children's learning, development and safety.
It is some of the most important work in this country, and it must be properly valued. I want to thank every worker at Goodstart Pakenham for the warm and generous welcome that they extended to me. The beautiful artwork that the children created with your support now hangs proudly in my Melbourne office.
For educators, children and families alike, access to high-quality, affordable and accessible early childhood education is critical. It lays the foundation for success throughout a child's life, and it is also fundamental to building and maintaining a strong, stable workforce. That is why, on 8 August 2024, the Albanese government announced that it would fund a 15 per cent wage increase for early childhood education and care workers.
At the time, services across the country were delaying expansion plans, closing rooms and limiting enrolments because they could not find enough staff. Workforce retention and stability are also critical to quality and safety in the sector. Children thrive when they are able to build consistent and trusted relationships with educators, and educators are more likely to stay when they feel supported and valued.
The results speak for themselves. Since the worker retention payment was announced in 2024—we've heard these numbers a few times in contributions today, but I think they are worth repeating—there are around 20,000 more early childhood education and care workers, representing an increase of around eight per cent, at a time when we absolutely need it. Job vacancies in the sector have fallen by almost 31 per cent.
The proportion of services operating under a staffing waiver has decreased from 8.9 per cent to 4.3 per cent. Fees at centres receiving the payment have grown at around half the rate of those at centres that are not participating. When combined with the government's support for minimum wage increases, a typical full-time educator will receive around $255 more per week, while an early childhood teacher will receive around $410 more per week compared with December 2024, when the government first implemented the pay rise.
This bill builds on that success. It extends support for wage increases through the wage justice special account and introduces important measures to strengthen quality and safety in early learning. I know the importance of securing that pay rise—$255 every single week is a lot of money—so securing this into the future shows the amount of undervaluation that this bill is seeking to continue to address, recognise and fix.
From July 2027, services that fail to meet national quality standard requirements relating to safety may also have their funding reduced or suspended. That matters because every child deserves a safe, high-quality learning environment and every parent deserves confidence that standards are being upheld. Importantly, services receiving the payment must continue to limit fee increases.
That means that educators can receive the pay rise they deserve without the cost being unfairly passed on to families. Again, the evidence is clear: providers participating in the worker retention payment have increased fees at around half the rate of providers outside the scheme. That is significant.
Around 95 per cent of services currently meet the relevant standards, but, of course, we want that figure to be higher. This bill recognises a simple truth: if we value early childhood education, we must value the people who deliver it. If we want children to receive the best possible start in life, we need to support the workforce that makes that possible.
This government understands that investing in early childhood educators is an investment in children, in families and in Australia's future. In closing, I also want to pay tribute to Minister Walsh for her incredible work in bringing this bill to the parliament and securing the wages for these workers. Minister Walsh is a minister with deep understanding of the issue and a deep respect for the workforce that delivers in this sector, a respect which is backed up by commitment delivered by this bill and action contained in this bill.