Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Hansard source

In response to what we're doing about the workforce issues that have persisted for many years, including for the last nine years in which the previous government resided over these issues in the workforce, there are a number of things that we're doing. As I mentioned in my previous answer, the Minister for Education and I are conducting a rigorous agenda of consultation with the sector. We have been consulting with the sector and continue to consult with the sector in the lead-up to the Jobs and Skills Summit. But there are a number of other Labor government policies that are going to help that issue as well—we've got the fee-free TAFE policy and we've got free education university places—that we know will help to resolve some of those issues in the workforce sector.

I'm not underestimating the challenge ahead of us in this, and I assure the member for Moncrieff that we have not underestimated the challenge ahead of us in addressing these workforce issues. I will say that they are not just in the early childhood education sector but across the care sector generally. I can also assure those opposite that it is only a Labor government that's going to do something about it.

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