We all know that raising kids is hard work.
I’ve heard toddlers referred to as tiny tornadoes. Adorable tornadoes, but anybody who has had a newly-walking one year old in their house can attest to the fact they can cause a lot of damage. Not to mention anxiety for the family pets.
What parent hasn’t happily handed over their child to a grandparent or friend to look after so they can get on with the five million other tasks they have to complete.
And when it comes to working families, who hasn’t been grateful to secure a spot at the local daycare centre?
There is one universal requirement when we choose someone to look after your precious children and that is that we can trust them.
Trust that the person will nurture, protect and care for your little one, physically and emotionally.
But whereas some care of children is babysitting – making sure they’re fed and get to bed while mum and dad have a date night – childcare, or more accurately early childhood education, is not babysitting.
Early education is so important in that critical first five years of a child’s brain development.
And yet, there are worker shortages in this critical industry because the pay has not been good enough to attract the skilled professionals needed.
Many parents, particularly women keen to return to work after parental leave, are thwarted by a long waiting list to get a place for their child.
The Albanese Government has heard the frustration of parents and childcare workers, we know the inequity, and we have acted.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister joined with the Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Minister for Education, Jason Clare, and Minister for Early Childhood Education, Dr Anne Aly, to announce a 15 per cent pay rise for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workers as part of a $3.6bn package of government funding.
The pay rise will be phased in over two years, with a 10 per cent increase from December and a further 5 per cent from December 2025.
For a typical ECEC worker paid at the award rate that means they will receive a pay rise of at least $103 per week, increasing to at least $155 per week from December 2025.
Importantly, this applies to workers in out of school hours care as well.
Since Labor came to power the childcare workforce has grown by more than 30,000 but we need more.
Dr Aly said the key to attracting and retaining workers is in ‘properly valuing’ them and that, in turn, is ‘vital to achieving the quality universal early learning sector Australian families deserve’.
Yesterday, early childhood educator, Karen Moran, said the pay rise will change people’s lives.
Ms Moran said that some early childhood educators are working two and three jobs just to make ends or have been relying on Foodbank to feed their own families.
That is just not right.
These are highly skilled professionals whom we entrust with our children’s wellbeing. They deserve better and this government is making sure they get the recognition they warrant through this decision.
The wages increase is one side of the coin, the successful Cheaper Child Care changes are the other in making childcare available and affordable.
And we are not prepared to squander the gains in childcare we have made.
For a childcare centre operator to receive funding from the $3.6bn government funding for the wages, fees cannot increase by more than 4.4 per cent over the next 12 months.
The full funding must be passed on to staff through pay increases.
Education Minister Jason Clare said by limiting the ability of operators to raise fees, it provides a cost-of-living ‘double whammy’. Workers wages go up and fees stay down.
This is a win for workers, a win for families and will help ease pressure on the family budget.
Quality, affordable early education not only prepares children for a great start at school, but for their ongoing education and development – laying the foundation for our nation's future economic success.
Having more educators and carers attracted to a career in childcare will increase availability of places.
It will encourage women back into the workforce.
Most of all, it will send the signal that we value the people who have such an lasting impact of the youngest members of our community.
I will finish with the Prime Minister’s words when announcing the wage increase.
‘Knowing your child is safe, happy and learning alongside their friends is priceless. Giving the next generation the best start in life is essential. Today we deliver fair pay for the people who make this possible.’
‘This brings together the priorities that drive our government: real help with the cost of living, fair wages for workers, investing in the future and economic equality for women.’