Every day on the Central Coast, parents trust early educators with the most important thing in their world, and every day Australia asks early educators to do one of the most important jobs imaginable.

Today, we are making sure those educators are better paid.

The Federal Labor Government will fund a 15 per cent wage increase for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workers.

This wage increase will be tied to a commitment from Child Care Centres to limit fee increases.

This significant wage increase is an important next step in the Government’s reforms to the sector, building on the successful Cheaper Child Care changes, which have already benefitted 6,900 families in my electorate of Robertson.  

This will be phased in over two years, and include a 10 per cent increase from December 2024, and a further 5 per cent increase from December 2025.

This means a typical ECEC educator who is paid at the award rate will receive a pay rise of at least $103 per week, increasing to at least $155 per week from December 2025.

ECEC workers are some of the most important workers on the Central Coast and they deserve to be paid properly.

This $3.6 billion investment from the Government recognises the vital role that ECEC workers play preparing children for school.

To be eligible to receive funding for the wage increase, ECEC services won’t be able to increase their fees by more than 4.4 per cent over the next 12 months from today.

This is an important condition that will keep downward pressure on fees for local families on the Central Coast. Funding must be passed on in full to employees through increased wages.

This is a win for workers, a win for families and will help ease cost of living pressures for the Central Coast.

Quality, affordable early education prepares children for a great start at school, contribution to their ongoing education and development.

And it lays the foundation for our nation's future economic success. 

Since coming to Government, the number of ECEC workers has grown by more than 30,000, but we need more.

This commitment will help retain our existing early childhood educators, who are predominately women, and attract new employees.

This announcement comes after the Government joined negotiations with unions and sector representatives as part of the ECEC supported bargaining process, made possible by the Secure Jobs Better Pay Act.

Combined with the Government’s Cheaper Child Care initiative, today’s announcement will help support the availability of early education and care for families on the Central Coast and is a crucial step in charting the course to a truly universal early education system.

The Government has also received the Productivity Commission’s final report into early childhood education and care and will release it in due course.

Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Robertson, Dr Gordon Reid MP:

"Early educators are helping shape the youngest generation on the Central Coast. They do important work, and we need to make sure they are properly paid. Today the Labor Government is doing just that.

“Early educator workers on the Central Coast will receive a 15 per cent pay rise. For a typical worker, they will receive a pay rise of at least $103 per week, increasing to at least $155 per week from December 2025.

“Importantly, the Labor Government is also keeping costs down for Central Coast families by limiting fee increases at childcare centres.

“We’re getting wages moving, which will attract and retain our early childhood education workforce and easing cost of living pressures from our Cheaper Child Care changes.”

“This is a win for workers, families and children on the Central Coast.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

“The child care debate is over. It’s not babysitting. It’s early education and it’s critical to preparing children for school.

“They lift our kids up and now we are lifting their pay.

“This is the cost of living double whammy – wages up for workers and keeping prices down for families.

“A pay rise for every early childhood educator is good for our workforce, good for families and good our economy.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Anne Aly:

“This is a wonderful outcome for a highly feminised workforce that has for far too long been neglected and taken for granted.

“We’re boosting the wages of early childhood education workers, while reliving cost of living pressures on Australian Families.

“Properly valuing the early childhood education and care workforce is crucial to attracting and retaining workers and vital to achieving the quality universal earl learning sector Australian families deserve.

“A quality early childhood education sector is necessary to support children's learning and development as well as workforce participation in the broader economy.”

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