Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like most parents, when I first put my son into early childhood education, I was a little bit anxious, but I quickly saw the great benefits and got to meet the incredible people who work as early childhood educators, looking after the youngest Australians. I used to have terrible trouble getting my children to have their naps, and to get my son to have his nap I used to push him in the pram or even take him for a drive in the car, often sitting in the car with him and until it was time for him to wake up. So when it was time for him to be in early education and I said, 'I don't expect you to be able to do it,' because they don't have access to these things, I was amazed when his educator Delia would sit with him, rocking him until he fell asleep, and then sat there for his whole nap. To me, that story always tells me what a special kind of person goes into early childhood education and what we've experienced the whole time in our journey with it. Yesterday, Sarah sent me an amazingly, beautifully written story about my daughter setting up a teddy bear hair salon at their centre. I'd love to name all the other educators there, but I can't. This is why these incredible workers deserve a 15 per cent pay rise, and I am so proud that our government is delivering it, because, for too long, early childhood educators have not had the recognition they deserve or the pay they deserve. That's the really important part—they deserve more than our thanks. They have such an important role in our society in shaping the young minds and the futures of Australians.

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