Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the wonderful member not only for his question but also for his continued and unrelenting advocacy for families and children in his electorate. As I've said before, early childhood educators and teachers really do highly skilled and professional work, and they provide an essential service, a service that allows parents to work and to study. That allows primary caregivers, who are mainly women, to return to work or study if they so wish.

But for too long the sector has been losing these essential workers, and this government has taken action to change this. We're helping to build and keep the workforce that our children and families need and rely on. A significant part of that commitment to grow this workforce has been our fee-free TAFE. In the first 18 months of fee-free TAFE, there were over 35,000 enrolments in early childhood education and care courses. That's potentially 35,000 more educators and workers in a sector that is desperate for more workers.

Earlier this year I visited the TAFE in Leederville with the member for Perth, and we spoke to some early childhood education students who are benefiting from fee-free TAFE. Every single one of them told us that they would not have been able to undertake their course in early childhood education and follow that passion if it had not been for free TAFE. This is what one student said. One student told the member for Perth and I, 'Fee-free TAFE opened doors for me.' And you know what? Under this government the doors will stay open because fee-free TAFE is here to stay.

We don't just want to keep attracting more people to the sector; we want to keep those incredible people that are already working there as well. Another one of the students we met was returning to early childhood education after trialling other things. That student told us they were returning because of the supports now available to them. Among those supports is the 15 per cent wage increase that we are delivering.

Those students at Leederville TAFE are about ready to graduate; they'll graduate sometime in November. By December, they'll be seeing another $100 in their pay packet, and by next year it will be another $150 in their pay packet. Fee-free TAFE is a vital pipeline, the pipeline that Australia needs to ensure there are essential services provided by a highly skilled and trained workforce that can continue to grow and flourish. Only an Albanese Labor government will deliver it.

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