Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The first five years of a child's life are pivotal not only for their education but also for their overall development. These early years shape who they will become, influencing everything from their academic success to their ability to contribute to society. Increasingly, our youngest are being taught in early childhood education centres across the country.

The work these early educators do is vital for our children and for our economy, and for decades these workers have been underpaid. We've changed that, and it took a Labor government to do it. In my time as the member for Bennelong I've had the privilege of meeting countless dedicated ECEC educators—one in particular, called Claire. Claire told me that she and her fellow educators love their jobs, but they often find themselves having to choose between their profession and basic necessities like putting food on the table or paying rent in a really tough housing market. This is not a choice anyone should have to make, especially not those who are entrusted with the education and care of our children.

Our government understands the transformative power of early childhood education, not just for our children but for our families, our communities and our economy. That's why we've taken real, concrete steps towards our goal of accessible, affordable and universal early childhood education. Firstly, we've implemented the $5 billion boost to the sector through our cheaper childcare reforms. These reforms are already making a difference, delivering genuine cost-of-living relief to over 1.2 million families across the country. We've seen out-of-pocket costs for centre based day care drop by 11 per cent, and it's also removed penalties on those who want to work an extra day or two.

But making child care and early education more affordable is only one part of the solution. We also needed to address the workforce shortage and retention issues that the sector has been facing for so long. Early childhood educators need more than thanks; they need better pay. That's why our government's announcement of a two-year 15 per cent ECEC worker retention payment, starting in December 2024, is so significant. This isn't just about boosting take-home pay; it's about retaining and attracting the dedicated educators we need to sustain and grow our ECEC sector. For too long, early childhood educators have been overworked and underpaid. We've heard stories of educators relying on food banks to feed their families or working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. That is simply unacceptable. These workers are helping to shape the next generation of Australians, and they deserve better.

The wage increase delivered by Labor will mean that a typical educator will receive an extra $103 per week, increasing to at least $155 per week from December 2025. For our early childhood teachers, that increase will be even more substantial: an additional $166 a week, going up to $249 a week in the same time. To ensure that this wage increase doesn't lead to unaffordable fee hikes for families, we've introduced important safeguards. Early learning services that want to access this funding will need to commit to limiting their fee increases to no more than 4.4 per cent, a measure which will keep downward pressure on fees and ensure that the benefits of our reforms are felt by both families and educators alike.

We're doing all of this because we have a vision for this sector. We think that early childhood education is good for families and good for the economy. This should not be contested. But, in the alternative reality that exists amongst the Liberals and Nationals, it is. You see, while we're investing in early childhood education, the Liberals are attacking it. Liberal Senator Gerard Rennick said only last week that our early educators infect our children with the 'woke mind virus' and that early education destroys the family unit. These views are horrible and may have had carriage in 1824, but we are in 2024.

While the Liberals attack workers and families who use early childhood education, we want to ensure that every family can access it. We want universal early childhood education, in the true Labor tradition of fairness and equality. Early childhood education is good for workers, it's good for families and it's good for our economy. It's good to help address the gender pay gap and increase workforce participation, and we'll support it every day.

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