Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I've recently had extensive conversations with educators and providers in the early childhood sector in my electorate of Fowler. There was unanimous agreement that the cost-of-living increase and staffing shortages have put pressure on the workers and on the sector. In addition, many workers lament the perception that they're considered to be childcare workers rather than early childhood educators, which has meant they have not been remunerated accordingly. I acknowledge the government has addressed the issue of wage increase for childcare workers through the Fair Work Commission and I have no doubt many in this sector would welcome that. However, there is still the critical issue of a lack of skilled early educators. According to the Australian Childcare Alliance, even prior to COVID there had already been signs of skilled labour shortages, with the prediction of a need for 39,000 additional educators and teachers by 2023, and we're here now.

In my electorate of Fowler there is a high percentage of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, which presents another layer of complexity to an already challenging role. We're asking educators to care for our most precious beings, that being our children, while at the same time we're asking them to provide a positive environment in which our children can learn, socialise and interact with other children. In Fowler, with a low socioeconomic background and with English as a second language, this can be a challenge sometimes. We must look beyond the financial costs associated with child care and consider the industry, the people, the small business owners and the essential work that our childcare workers do each day.

In my conversations, it was very apparent to me that our educators are at breaking point. They're simply fed up, stressed, burnt out or feeling underappreciated. However, the community forums were also able to provide a safe space for industry owners to connect at a very local level and they allowed me to hear directly about the issues that matter to them. For them, for example, the simplification of the New South Wales staffing ratio so that it is equivalent to that of the National Quality Framework ratio of one to 10, while small, would have the biggest impact for small and medium childcare centres. Local providers would also benefit from a simplification of the early learning cadetship training model so that experienced childcare workers who wish to upskill from a cert III to an ECT degree can be fast-tracked through their degree based on the length of their career in the sector. I agree with my local providers on the issue of training. We should be helping educators grow and thrive in their careers by recognising all their qualifications.

They also told me that they are left out of pocket by the government's current Inclusion Support Program, which provides $25 an hour to hire an inclusion support worker. But the actual cost, with superannuation, work cover and leave, is about $35 an hour. Staff shortages in the childcare sector have certainly forced the small business owners in my area to compete on salary. This, on top of the potential increased wages under the new IR multi-employer bargaining laws, as well as overall inflation, is crippling the industry in Fowler. I do agree that our educators deserve recognition for their amazing and tireless work through a bigger pay cheque, but we must also consider that 60 to 70 per cent of a centre's operational costs relate to payroll, which forces small businesses to increase their prices just to stay afloat, and this will affect families in Fowler. There is so much that we can change, review and discuss when it comes to child care. As policymakers, we need to consider all the implications of our decisions.

I recently learned that university students who are already working in one childcare facility must leave that facility to do their practical course at another provider—in essence, taking away a valuable team member and placing additional pressure on the centre. Why are we imposing bureaucratic red tape for the small-business owners in places like Fowler? That's right, small business. After all, the childcare centres in my community are part of the 71 per cent of New South Wales providers that are small to medium-sized businesses, meaning they are facing the same challenges as any other businesses, such as bakeries, restaurants or retail outlets, whether it be energy bills, staff or loan repayments. Is there a solution to this? I believe the only way we can move forward is to continue to engage with the industry and our local community. Every state and territory must commit to easing the burden of the workforce. After all, we're talking about our children. Their welfare and wellbeing is the foundation for the future of our country.

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