Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, thank you for acknowledging my consistency of position when it comes to the fact that early childhood educators are grossly underpaid, something that the former government did absolutely nothing about and something, I might say, the Greens will never have the opportunity to do something about, not being a party of government. The only party that will ever be responsible for delivering a wage rise to early childhood educators is a Labor government, and that is exactly what we are doing right now.

This notion that we have given up on this issue could not be further from the truth. As I say, already since we have been in office, the Fair Work Commission minimum rates order increased pay rates in modern awards, including the Children's Services Award, by 4.6 per cent. That of course followed the Labor government making a submission to the Fair Work Commission, arguing for a pay rise for those lowest paid amongst our community. I am very happy to put my credentials as a supporter of early childhood educators up against any member of the Greens and any member of the opposition. I know that everyone on this side of the chamber would do the same thing. (Time expired)