Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025 and wholeheartedly endorse the Albanese government's three-day guarantee. I'm proud to be part of a government that truly recognises the value of early education and is taking real steps to support young families across the country. I'm determined to see our little ones better equipped, better educated and better prepared for their schooling journey.

As I said, alongside the Prime Minister in Brisbane last year, when we announced the three-day guarantee, my twins, Oshy and Dash, treasure their early educators, Camilla, Lara and Grace—although for very different reasons. Oshy says he appreciates Camilla and Lara for the cold, hard fact that, if any other kid hurts Oshy, Camilla and Lara always make that kid say sorry. But, when I asked Dash what he values in Grace, he replied, 'Because Grace just loves us.' The Labor Party is working hard to ensure the likes of Grace, Camilla and Lara are better supported, and that commitment is exactly what this bill delivers, with all families guaranteed three days, or 72 hours, of childcare subsidy each fortnight and families caring for First Nations children guaranteed 100 hours each fortnight.

This guarantee will secure an increase in support for over 100,000 young Australian families, with 66,000 expected to be better off in the first full financial year alone. Crucially, this is all to be achieved with no family being left worse off. The Albanese government will hold no-one back and we will leave no-one behind. And it's not just other suburbs that will benefit; this three-day guarantee is part of a larger package that establishes a $1 billion building early education fund to build and expand childcare centres in areas of need, including in the outer suburbs and in the regions.

Opportunity starts with education, and only Labor has a plan to ensure our kids get the start they deserve. The three-day guarantee builds upon Labor's work to untangle a decade of confusion and cuts under the coalition. Their notorious activity test created barriers to workforce participation, made the childcare system more complicated and ultimately made it harder for families to access support. The 2018 childcare package halved the number of subsidised hours of care that low-income families could access, from 48 hours to 24 hours, or just one day a week. This is not just a statistic to be cast aside; these are real outcomes for young families struggling to get by. And data from the Department of Education shows the number of children from low-income families accessing care went from around 32,000 in 2018 to around 6,500 in 2019. Put simply, those opposite let down those most in need.

The Albanese government has taken a very different, positive, practical approach. We have boosted the childcare subsidy. We have delivered cheaper child care. This has already reduced the cost of early education and care for more than a million families in Australia, and almost 9,000 families in my own electorate of Lilley. For a typical family, this measure alone has cut the cost of child care by 17 per cent.

Labor has also delivered a 15 per cent pay rise for early educators, to back our workers and ensure that these services are available. In a real sense, this means an educator who is paid at the award rate will receive a pay rise of at least $103 a week, with our early childhood teachers receiving an additional $166 a week.

But the Albanese Labor government will not rest on its laurels or become complacent. We know there is more to be done. That is why we're also developing an early education service delivery price. This effort will allow for a better understanding of early education service delivery. It will underpin future reform.

But as the Albanese government works towards universal early education that is high quality and accessible, the coalition only promise cuts. Whether it's TAFE, university, schooling or early education, the coalition have time and time again shown that they will not prioritise or support education in any form. They're against affordable early education. They're against student debt relief. They're against fee-free TAFE. They believe that education is a privilege that should be paid for. We disagree.

By making this investment in early education, Labor is sending a clear message to young families across the country: we see you, we support you, we back you and we will always work to deliver better outcomes for you and your kids, because that is what Labor governments do. We help people under pressure and we build for the future. I thank the House.

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