Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday I met with representatives of Australia's early childhood education and care union as part of the national campaign, Big Steps. Big Steps in child care is a campaign to transform the childcare profession into what it should be: stable, respected and well paid. Childcare professionals nurture and educate our most valuable assets, our children. Big Steps is focused on ensuring they get the recognition that they deserve. United Voice tracked fees from April 2011 to April 2012 using the government's mychild.gov.au website. Early childhood education and care fees in Australia have increased dramatically over the past 12 months from $63.21 to $70.29 per day or on average 11.2 per cent. Families need affordable, quality early childhood education and care with a professional workforce to deliver it, but the workforce is abandoning this sector because of low wages and conditions; 180 educators leave every week.

The funding model introduced by the Howard government is broken. This massive fee increase is more evidence that the childcare funding scheme is failing and is placing children, parents and educators under severe strain. As I said, families need affordable, quality early childhood education and care with a professional workforce to deliver it. A qualified educator earns around $17.50 an hour to educate and care for our greatest resource while on average a schoolteacher earns $35 per hour, an unskilled labourer $30 per hour, a truck driver $25 an hour and a babysitter $25 an hour. Early childhood educators provide first-class education and care for children while also providing an invaluable service for families and the wider community. They should be paid a salary that reflects their vital role. Parents are already burdened with the enormous cost of raising children and making a hefty contribution to their childcare fees.

Fair Work Australia announced a 2.9 per cent increase in the minimum wage. The increase applies from the first full payday on or after 1 July 2012 for those whose pay rates are tied to the Children's Services Award. An educator with certificate III will earn $18.58 per hour. An educator with a diploma will earn $22.12 per hour. A director of a centre with up to 39 children will earn $27.05 per hour. Without professional wages to keep the best staff from leaving the sector there will not be enough educators to deliver the quality outcomes that our children deserve. Without professional wages there is no meaningful recognition of the professional and vital work that is being done in those centres. The Productivity Commission's draft report recognised systematic issues in the early childhood education and care sector. As Alice Voigt, director and owner of Moore Park Gardens Preschool and Long Day Care Centre reported:

Professionals come to work in ECEC because they love working with children. But, as the draft report reveals, that there's a huge issue with staff leaving the sector because of wages. There needs to be higher wages for all professionals in ECEC who work so hard to educate the next generations of Australians at a crucial time in their development.

Ms Voigt continued:

The amount of people who have been in the sector for less than 6 years is a huge problem. There's high turnover, and it's because of massive burn out.

Ms Voigt asked:

Who's going to implement these educational reforms if we don't have the staff to do it?

The Productivity Commission continued:

The sector's low wages lead to high turnover, creating problems for specialised, long-term care for our children. The Workforce Census showed that about 60% of qualified staff have worked in the sector for 6 years or less. This means that committed professional educators are unable to stay in the sector long-term because of poverty wages.

Meanwhile, as we have come to expect, Tony Abbott has not allowed the facts to get in the way or get on the road nor has he talked about anything that is positive. Tanya Robinson, a childcare professional in New South Wales, said Mr Abbott's assertions about the childcare sector and the government's contributions are not matched with fact or reality. She said:

I believe that the ratio changes promote better care of the children and more focused time to the children, hence us being able to better educate them.

The coalition announcement that it would immediately slow down childcare industry reforms if elected is a direct threat to the future of the quality and sustainable education and care of our young children. Furthermore, the coalition's plan to slow down quality reforms, to offset cost, is not the solution. There is no evidence that the reforms have had a major impact on fees, and repealing quality will be damaging for our children. Similarly, their plan to lift the childcare rebate cap will do nothing to fix the long-term crisis. Affordability comes down to the way the sector is funded. On the issue of our children, Mr Abbott should let the experts talk about child care instead of spreading misrepresentation and fear. But, let us face it, that is his track record. That is what the opposition is renowned for.

From 1 July 2010 the Labor government increased the childcare rebate annual cap to $7,500 per child per year, covering 50 per cent of out-of-pocket childcare expenses for approved child care. The Productivity Commission has estimated out-of-pocket fees would be 15 per cent higher without the reforms, though this would depend on present staff wage arrangements. The Big Steps campaign is calling on the federal government to celebrate the vital work being done by early childhood professionals, by increasing wages to ensure there are qualified, consistent staff who can stay in the industry. On 6 June this year the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced that she would meet with the early childhood education and care sector to examine options to reform Australia's childcare funding sector. Sue Lines, Assistant National Secretary of United Voice, the early childhood education and care union, said:

We warned that without Government intervention the childcare funding crisis would continue to deteriorate. The current system is well past its use by date and is a threat to standards in the sector. This situation cannot continue: it is damaging to children and the workforce dedicated to meeting their developmental needs.

... childcare educators across Australia are delighted Prime Minister Gillard is listening.

High-standard child care is one of the most important issues for the Labor government. We recognise that there are issues and we are listening to the industry to find solutions—unlike those opposite.

The four women who met with me yesterday afternoon are inspirational educators. They are a sample of the truly professional and high-standard carers we have in this country. When I talk about this issue I talk about it not only as a member of this chamber but as a mother of a consumer of childcare services. Prior to becoming a mum herself, my youngest daughter worked in this industry. I know firsthand the challenges for those working in the industry and, just as importantly, I know that for the parents of children going into these centres it is about affordability. We need to respect those who are caring for our children. We need to ensure that they are of the highest standard when it comes to being educators. They need our support. I commend the work of the Australian early childhood education and care union's Big Steps campaign and I urge people to get behind it.

Senate adjourned at 22:35