Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Gilmore for moving this motion. I'm pleased to have an opportunity to voice my support for Australia's wonderful early childhood educators and carers and to thank them for their hard work. Moreton has some fantastic early childhood education centres. In fact, I live across the road from one of them—the one that my sons went to—so I had never had a great journey in terms of the double drop-off; I just went across the pedestrian crossing. They're all great places to visit. I'm always inspired by the educators and carers and by their dedication to and enthusiasm about their work. It's great to see the children having fun while learning.

These centres provide a rich learning environment for 1.8 million Australian children aged from zero to five—that crucial period for brain, language and social development. These years are the building blocks for good health, education and wellbeing for school and later in life. Quality early learning programs also provide children with better educational outcomes. This includes improved literacy and numeracy skills, greater engagement in schooling and completion of school and, ultimately, higher paying jobs. The best part is that the children at these centres are achieving this vital groundwork via play and having fun, the core business of childhood.

We recognise the importance of this and, in turn, the importance of supporting the workforce that makes this possible. That's why early childhood educators and carers will receive a 15 per cent pay increase over the next two years. This increase is real and tangible cost-of-living relief for early childhood education workers, as well as an acknowledgement of how much the Labor government values their work. It amounts to a $3.5 billion investment from the Commonwealth government, and it will mean an increase of between $100 and $250 per week for typical workers from December this year, just next month.

It's vital that we invest in this workforce. We need to retain experienced professionals and attract more workers. I'm pleased to say that since May 2022 the sector has grown by more than 30,000 employees. They've been drawn by more university places for early childhood teachers and the fee-free TAFE initiative. Having a thriving early childhood education sector is essential not only for our children but as a key part of our economy. After all, early childhood educators enable other Australians with young children to go out and do their own jobs, and thanks to Labor initiatives, doing this has become more economical for families rights across Australia. There are over 1.2 million families benefiting from our cheaper childcare reforms. This has reduced the average out-of-pocket cost for centre based daycare by 11 per cent. It makes it so much more affordable for mums and dads to work or to do training or study.

We've also linked the pay rise for early childhood educators to a condition that, from 24 August, early childhood education centres do not increase their fees by more than 4.4 per cent for the coming year, and we're working on a new index for the year following that. This ensures that families are not faced with fee hikes and that the funding goes to the centres' employees' pay packets. The Labor government's ultimate goal is the provision of a universal early childhood education and care system—something we're working towards steadily, methodically and with significant progress. We commissioned the ACCC and the Productivity Commission to inquire into the early childhood education and care system to guide further reforms, and these findings will be considered over the coming months.

With the goal of universal early childhood education and care in mind, we know what's required are evidence-based long-term strategies and investment. We want it to be accessible, affordable and inclusive, and we'll work collaboratively to achieve this in the city and in the bush. I'll leave my final words to the centre manager for an early childhood education centre in my home suburb of Moorooka. Karen said:

The 15% pay increase for early childhood educators is a great first step for the Early Childhood Sector in recognising and acknowledging the work that we do and supporting the retention of people in our sector. Importantly, I feel it makes Approved Providers more accountable for fee increases, providing transparency, something historically that has not occurred. It supports families with affordability in this current economic climate and truly gives back to the many Educators who work tirelessly each and every day to deliver quality care and education to our most precious little humans.

Thank you, Karen, for your words and for the great work that you and your peers and colleagues do. Thank you to all early childhood educators across Moreton and across this nation. I can't think of a group in society more deserving of that 15 per cent pay increase.

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