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

I would like to provide some summing up comments for this Early Years Quality Fund Special Account Bill 2013 by noting that the government has a proud record of supporting early childhood development and this bill is another example of that support. Over the next four years the government will invest a record $25 billion in early childhood education and care, of which $22.1 billion will be in direct childcare assistance to parents. That is more than triple the investment in the four years prior to 2007, making direct improvements to the lives of children and families. To the members opposite, all I would say is: this government has truly recognised how absolutely crucial it is to provide the appropriate commensurate level of investment into the early years, into childhood care and education so that we can get young Australians on a solid foundation for the rest of their learning journey.

The Early Years Quality Fund is another demonstration of the government's commitment to the sector and this time to the dedicated educators who work with children every day. I stress that these people are educators, not babysitters. This bill provides a wage of recognition of the important work they do and the critical education and care service they provide for Australian families. That is about ensuring that children have access to high-quality early childhood education and care experiences and the enormous benefits that that provides for children themselves, for their families and for the country as a whole.

I think it is fair to say that the enormous growth in the use of early childhood education and care services means that the need to ensure that there is a qualified and professional workforce is now more important than ever. The Early Years Quality Fund provides $300 million over two years in grants directly to long day care centres to supplement wage increases for educators. Funding will be provided directly to approved services to improve quality outcomes for children by supplementing wage increases. The Early Years Quality Fund will help early childhood education and care services attract and retain qualified professionals and assist in raising the professional status of the sector. The Early Years Quality Fund will further support the effective implementation of the National Quality Framework, including the educator qualification requirements commencing in 2014.

To provide these high-quality services we now need to attract, retain and upskill qualified and committed educators to manage the ever-increasing demand in the sector. We certainly understand that support is needed for the early childhood education and care sector to meet these increased requirements embedded in the National Quality Framework and of course meet increasing growth in demand. Increased wages through the Early Years Quality Fund will provide some of that support.

I acknowledge the concerns that have been raised within the early childhood education and care sector through the committee inquiries relating to the bill. There have been concerns raised regarding the requirement for an enterprise agreement. It is important to understand that the requirement for an enterprise agreement will ensure there is a legal framework in place for the funding to flow on to workers' wages. For individual educators, having an enterprise agreement in place ensures they have a statutory enforceable right to receive the pay increases granted under the fund.

Some in the sector have also raised concerns that the quantum of funding does not provide an increase for all educators, and some have called for a smaller increase that can be distributed to all educators in the sector. I acknowledge these concerns and I know that there is more to be done within this sector to ensure that we attract and retain qualified, respected educators who are being remunerated in a way that shows their value to the Australian society and the future of Australian children.

In a challenging fiscal environment this government has made record investments in early childhood education and care, and by committing a further $300 million to support a quality early childhood workforce the government has acted to keep qualified and professional educators in the sector, maintaining the relationship with children and families that we know are so important to outcomes for children. We are laying the foundation for longer term sustainable professionalism of the early childhood sector.

I can say that a new Pay Equity Unit will be established in the Fair Work Commission, with a focus on conducting research and additionally collecting data and specialist pay equity information to inform matters related to pay equity under the Fair Work Act, modern award reviews and annual minimum wage decisions. While the Early Years Quality Fund will initially help the sector retain qualified workers, the Pay Equity Unit will examine gender and pay equity issues, particularly in female dominated areas such as child care.

I conclude by saying that I have been privileged to have the opportunity to visit many early childhood education and care centres. I have listened to the staff and the parents who say how important it is that these educators are recognised for the work they do. The government agrees with them, and the Early Years Quality Fund is a step towards achieving that recognition. I encourage the House to also agree and to vote to provide these committed and critical yet low-paid workers with the opportunity to gain the pay increase that they so surely deserve. I commend the bill to the House.

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