Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth. With around 7,000 vacancies in the early childhood education sector, I ask the minister: how many workers will be needed under Labor's universal childcare policy?

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The question was heard in silence. The member on my left, the Leader of the Nationals, is on a warning.

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

I thank the member for Moncrieff for her question. I also take this opportunity to congratulate the member for Moncrieff on being appointed as the opposition shadow spokesperson on this issue and thank her for her interest in early childhood education.

We know that more needs to be done to develop and recognise the workforce. We recognise that there are serious workforce issues. As I mentioned in my last response, I and my Labor colleagues met earlier today with members from the early childhood education sector, and primarily a lot of the issues that they were raising were around workforce issues. We recognise that there is a shortage in the workforce and the workforce needed now to fill in the vacancies for early childhood education. This shortage is not just in the workforce itself; it may interest the member to know that the retention rates for early childhood educators in certificate III and in diploma are also very low and have reduced quite significantly over the last two years. But even before COVID those retention rates were very low.

To go to the member's question—before the Deputy Leader of the Opposition stands up to interject—about workforce requirements: the figures that were published earlier this week that quote, I think, around 6½ thousand vacancies are correct, and we do anticipate that those vacancies will increase not just as a result of a Labor government making it more affordable and more accessible for children to access early childhood education—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is answering the question. I will ask her to pause for a moment. The member for Moncrieff?

Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a point of order on relevance. The minister's not outlining—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. The minister is being entirely relevant. You asked about the workforce needed in early childhood. She is referring exactly to that point. I give the call to the minister.

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

In response to what we're doing about the workforce issues that have persisted for many years, including for the last nine years in which the previous government resided over these issues in the workforce, there are a number of things that we're doing. As I mentioned in my previous answer, the Minister for Education and I are conducting a rigorous agenda of consultation with the sector. We have been consulting with the sector and continue to consult with the sector in the lead-up to the Jobs and Skills Summit. But there are a number of other Labor government policies that are going to help that issue as well—we've got the fee-free TAFE policy and we've got free education university places—that we know will help to resolve some of those issues in the workforce sector.

I'm not underestimating the challenge ahead of us in this, and I assure the member for Moncrieff that we have not underestimated the challenge ahead of us in addressing these workforce issues. I will say that they are not just in the early childhood education sector but across the care sector generally. I can also assure those opposite that it is only a Labor government that's going to do something about it.