Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In the short time I have left, in continuation of what I was saying earlier before question time on this very important bill, I'll start where I left off. As I said, we need to respect the professionalisation of the early childhood workforce. After nearly a decade of neglect and inaction by the former Liberal government, changes are needed. That's what the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) Bill 2024 is doing. It will ensure that we have a sustainable early childhood educator workforce, which is important to our nation. Early learning educators do a vital job, making it possible for millions of other Australians to do their jobs. But, most importantly, they're responsible for the education of our children—the next generation of Australians. I know that a supported and valued workforce is absolutely critical to making early childhood education and care more accessible and more affordable for all Australian families.

This bill demonstrates the government's absolute commitment to supporting wage increases in a historically undervalued, mainly female dominated care sector, and it complements recent workplace relations reforms through the secure jobs, better pay act. We know that early childhood educators do a very important job. They are some of the most important workers in our country. We entrust them with our children when they leave home for the first time and we entrust them with their care and education. We know that they deserve more than our thanks; they deserve to be paid properly.

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