Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Hansard source

I think I have given myself sufficient time to deal with the shadow minister's questions and I make the point that, if she is concerned about the delivery of education in regional Australia, she will support the National Plan for School Improvement. Certainly we think the establishment of the Early Years Quality Fund goes some way towards dealing with some of the challenges facing those who work in the early childhood care and education sector and we certainly do, as you know, expect the Early Years Quality Fund advisory board to take up its responsibilities as identified as this initiative is developed in time. I am happy to answer a couple of those questions on behalf of the government and to make the point that eligibility criteria and assessment criteria will in fact be considered by the advisory board, and that is as it should be. It should not be any other way.

When you refer to the wages schedule, that is yet to be approved but certainly the government has announced that certificate III will get the $3 up. Again, the member asked me a question about the proportion covered. That will depend on the size of the service, the number of educators and the hours worked. But here is a bigger question which ought to be addressed as I respond: will the coalition ever commit itself to continuing the support for early childhood care and education and the national quality framework which has been the hallmark of the most substantial reforms and delivery in early childhood care and education we have seen in this parliament. That is the question you have to answer here. You have shown no commitment whatsoever to these reforms. We hear nothing from you about the sort of commitment you are likely to make but rather a little bit of petty politics around the side, while the substantial important reforms are delivered quite often in partnership with the states which you and your political partners are a part of. We will continue that commitment over time.

See this speech in context