Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting early childhood educators?

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

I thank the member for Hawke for his question. I particularly enjoyed visiting an early learning centre, Yaluk Burron, in the member for Hawke's electorate, as well as meeting some early childhood educators who were going to be part of our early childhood education workforce as they were studying certificate III. The member for Hawke, like all on this side of the House, knows just how important the role of early childhood educators is—how important it is for setting up our children to thrive, how important it is for our economy and how important it is for families. I am proud to be part of a Labor government that recognises that value and the importance of that work.

As part of the recognition that we have for early childhood education and care and for early childhood educators and teachers, I am proud that we are delivering a 15 per cent historic wage increase for early childhood workers right across the country. That means that 200,000 early childhood workers right across Australia will have in their pay packets at least $100 more a week by the end of this year. By the end of next year, that means at least another $150 back in their pay packets.

Along with the member for Hawke and members from right across this side as I have travelled around visiting early childhood education centres, educators and parents, I have heard a lot from educators over the past few weeks about what this $3.6 billion investment means to them. It means that they will have a liveable wage. As Courtney, who is a passionate early childhood educator from Tasmania, said: 'This wage increase will have a huge impact. It will help me to afford my bills comfortably, have a social life and help my mindset when dealing with the challenges that we deal with every day at work.' I think that says it all about what a difference this 15 per cent wage increase is going to make to early childhood educators and workers across Australia. It's not just about giving them the wage that they deserve; it really is about ensuring that we have a strong and stable workforce, the kind of workforce that we need for the transformations that we want to undertake in early childhood education and care to achieve the vision that we have for a universal system that is affordable, accessible and inclusive. We can't do that if we don't have a strong and stable workforce. It is what the children of Australia deserve, it is what the families of Australia deserve and it is what an Albanese Labor government will deliver.