Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to present the petition 'Fund better wages and conditions for early childhood educators'.

The petition read as follows—

Access to affordable, quality early childhood education and care supports children's development in the crucial years before school as well as supporting their parents to participate in the workforce. A professional, qualified workforce is essential to deliver quality early childhood education. The workforce is in crisis with vacancies running at twice pre-pandemic levels. A key reason that educators ae leaving is because of low wages and conditions, well below what educators and teachers are paid in the public schools system.

We therefore ask the House to act to fund an immediate wage increase for early childhood educators and teachers so that wages can rise without the need to parents to pay increased fees.

from 3,923 citizens (Petition No. PN0547)

The petition has been considered by the Petitions Committee and ruled in order. This petition asks the House to consider the following. Access to affordable early childhood education and care supports the development of children in the crucial years before school as well as supporting their parents to participate in the workforce. A professional, qualified workforce is essential to deliver early childhood education, but the workforce is in crisis with vacancies running at twice pre-pandemic levels. A key reason that educators are leaving the sector is because of low wages and conditions. This petition therefore asks that this House consider an immediate wage increase for early childhood educators and teachers so that wages can rise without the need of increasing fees for parents.

I say to the 3,721 parents and educators: we have heard your message. The government is listening and this House is listening. We know that 96 per cent of the early childhood education workforce are women. That's the highest percentage of any major award sector, yet the sector has endured two failed pay equity cases in the last decade. Labor wants to change that, and that is why our Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill provides a pathway to address this. I encourage them to keep talking because we'll keep listening.