Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am reminded of the importance of good quality early childhood education and care when I'm confronted with its removal. Two centres in my electorate currently face closure, and three have recently closed, as churches, councils or other institutions leave the field by seeking other uses for their land. The common thread is that these have    all been community-led centres. These decisions leave families and communities shattered because the selection of a childcare centre or kindy is made so thoughtfully and individually, often based on interactions with staff, obviously the needs of the child, word of mouth and online quality standards, which are universally higher for community-run centres.

Little St Margaret's Kindergarten, Ewing Street Kindergarten, Gardiner Preschool, Windsor Community Children's Centre, the Craig Family Centre, Chabad Malvern's early childhood education and care centre are places I love visiting to meet caring and impressive staff and curious children.

Currently, Windsor Community Children's Centre and Gardiner Preschool are fighting to survive. A campaign is underway to protect Windsor Community Children's Centre. The land on which this beloved centre is sitting on is being rezoned and sold. It is one of the few remaining not-for-profit centres in the City of Stonnington. It is a special place where children are nurtured, educated and prepared for their future in a safe and loving environment. Gardiner Preschool in Glen Iris is a quality community-run kinder that opened in the 1940s. It, too, is at risk of closure due to the Uniting Church's decision to terminate its lease. I am asking Higgins residents and people at all levels of government to visit these centres and have a look at their websites to learn about their histories and what they provide, and to support the campaigns to save them in whatever way they can.

The educators and carers in these settings perform vital work and become part of our families. But therein lies the trap. They are not in our family; they are skilled professionals who should be paid fairly. Parents agree. Time and time again I have had parents cite the need to pay our educators better. They are concerned that their fees may not be getting to the workers.

Caring professionals provide the foundation for a caring society, from the cradle to the grave. Ninety per cent of brain growth occurs in those first five years—they are critical—underpinning the importance of high-quality early education and care, noting that the workforce, like in every other caring profession from teaching to nursing to aged care, is everything. The workforce is everything. But sector reform is needed because there is a shortage of workers. Providers have been delaying expansion plans, closing rooms and limiting enrolments because they can't find quality and qualified staff.

Since Labor came to office, the workforce has increased by 30,000, but more work is needed. The future of the early childhood education profession: Early childhood education and care workforce capacity study summary report stated that Australia needs 21,000 more qualified ECEC professionals to meet current demand. ECEC remuneration is low compared to other competing occupations, which presents a significant disincentive to entry and accelerates attrition. Given that 92 per cent of the workforce are women, this is a gendered issue and it is close to the heart of this female-dominant government. I congratulate Minister Anne Aly and Minister Jason Clare for their work on this game-changing bill. It is a game changer.

Change is needed not simply as a matter of fairness but to attract people to the profession and retain them. I have met educators who have been at centres for decades, some up to 25 years. We want the sector to be seen as a career destination, and remuneration is vital to making that a reality. High-quality child care and early childhood education are essential for increased workforce productivity, particularly for women, and for better biopsychosocial outcomes, not just education, for children. It's holistic.

The Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) Bill 2024 we are debating establishes a special account to fund grants to approved early childhood education and care providers to support a wage increase of 15 per cent for eligible workers over two years, and to limit fee increases charged by providers. This is the ECEC worker retention payment program. The 15 per cent pay rise will be phased in over two years, starting with a 10 per cent increase from December this year with a further five per cent increase from December next year. A typical early educator, paid at the award rate, will receive a pay rise of at least $103 a week in December this year, increasing to at least $155 per week from next year. For a typical early childhood education teacher, they'll receive an additional $166 a week from December this year, increasing to $249 from December next year.

To be eligible to receive the funding for the wage increase, early childhood education and care services must agree not to increase their fees by more than 4.4 per cent between 8 August this year and 7 August next year. This will place downward pressure on fees. It will constrain them. The funding for this change has been set for two years to allow the Fair Work Commission to finalise its gender awards review, which is expected to overhaul the care and health sectors. Watch this space.

This bill builds on the government's support for the ECEC sector and Australian families, including the cheaper childcare measures, which injected $5 billion into the sector in our first budget. This in turn has made child care cheaper for more than a million families. Our children and parents, especially our mums, and our economy will be the beneficiaries, but it all starts with the workforce. I commend this bill to the House.

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