Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026

Senator WALSH (Victoria—Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth) (13:04): The Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026 locks in this government's commitment to a historic 15 per cent pay rise for our nation's early childhood educators. When we first came to government, educators were undervalued and they were underpaid.

They were leaving the sector in droves. They loved their jobs, but, unfortunately, love doesn't pay the bills. These are the people who give Australian children a great start in life, and they just weren't getting the recognition that they deserved.

The Albanese Labor government has given this vital workforce that recognition with this historic 15 per cent pay rise, and it has already paid dividends. Around 20,000 more educators have joined the workforce since the pay rise was first announced. Job vacancies are down by almost a third and staffing waivers are down by almost half.

We know the pay rise is working, and that is why we're locking it in. I acknowledge all of the senators, and members in the other place last week, who have spoken on this bill. We heard so many amazing stories shared of local early learning services around the country, centres that simply wouldn't run without the passionate, dedicated educators who work there.

We've heard about just how life changing this pay rise has been and will continue to be for them. With this pay rise, a typical full-time educator is $255 a week better off. It covers more than 215,000 educators, the vast majority of them women.

I see the benefits almost every week when I visit our nation's early learning services. I speak with educators about how their lives have changed because of our government's investment in them. They also tell me the difference that the pay rise makes for children as well, giving them the continuity and stability that they deserve.

We know that children benefit from seeing the same faces each day and from having a trusted educator who they know will see them day in and day out. Before coming to this place, I proudly stood side by side with educators across the country as they walked off the job, asking for the respect and recognition that they deserved. Now our government have delivered that respect and recognition, and we are locking it in.

Early childhood educators are professionals. They are skilled professionals who have a hugely important job. Those educators were demanding a pay rise which reflected their importance and value.

I'm so proud that we have now delivered that for them. As the Senate considers this bill, it's important to recognise why our educators had to fight so hard for this pay rise. If you want to know what was standing in the way, look to the other side of the chamber.

For almost a decade in government demands for better pay fell on the deaf ears of a coalition government, a coalition government who said it was just too hard, a coalition government who said, 'It's not our problem,' and a coalition government who said, 'Who cares?' to the educators who care for and educate our nation's children. That was their attitude. They watched on as this workforce was plunged into crisis.

When Labor brought legislation to this place in 2024, those opposite called it a 'sugar hit'. Their friends in One Nation sing from the same songbook. At the National Press Club, Senator Hanson questioned why we needed 'people with some sort of degree to look after a child'.

Senator Hanson also questioned why educators needed another pay rise. 'Didn't they just get one?' she said. Senator Hanson was correct about one thing. Labor did just give our educators a pay rise, and, with this legislation, we are locking that pay rise in.

It is a pay rise that is well deserved. Australia's early childhood educators know who is on their side. Australian families know who is on their side.

The Albanese Labor government has delivered real change for Australian children, Australian families and our nation's dedicated early childhood educators. Our bill is just one part of this government's commitment to strengthening this important sector. We've also introduced the biggest reforms to child safety in the nation's history, standing shoulder to shoulder with state and territory governments.

This bill continues that really important work by making meeting national safety standards a condition of receiving the worker retention payment. The government will not be supporting the second reading amendments moved by those opposite. While I'm grateful that the Liberal Party has chosen to not oppose this critical legislation—legislation previously described by them as 'a sugar hit'—we are the government who created the worker retention payment.

We are the government that is extending that payment to employees in family day care and in-home care. And we will not be supporting the second reading amendment moved by Senator Hodgins-May. Our government is putting in place the building blocks of universal early learning every single day.

We are building a system that is high quality, affordable and available where families need it. We have done more in the last four years than happened in the previous decade. This bill is a critical building block.

So is our billion-dollar Building Early Education Fund. Just this morning, I was proud to stand with my colleagues in the Mural Hall to celebrate having reached building early education agreements with all eight states and territories. These agreements will deliver 42 new services, 33 of them co-located with our schools.

We are the party of universal early learning and we are building it piece by piece every day. I encourage all senators to lock in this pay rise and to support this bill. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Blyth ): The question is that the second reading amendment moved by Senator Hodgins-May on sheet 4123 be agreed to.