Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Senator Walsh. Families rely on early learning services to help balance work and family life and to give their children a great start in life. That means we need enough skilled educators in services and a workforce that is supported to build a long-term career in early learning. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Albanese Labor government is backing this important workforce and improving access to quality early learning for Australian families?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Tyrrell, for your question and for your advocacy on behalf of Australia's early childhood educators. On this side of the chamber, we support the early education workforce. They are skilled professionals and they do vital work.

This morning I joined Minister Clare and Minister Rishworth at Goodstart Isaacs, and we met educators Kath, Purvan and Taylor, who told us our 15 per cent pay rise recognises the important work they do in giving children a great start in life. For too long under the coalition, low wages were pushing good educators out of the jobs that they loved. When we first came to government, the workforce was in crisis. Educators were leaving the sector in droves. They loved their jobs, but love just didn't pay the bills. That's why we delivered this 15 per cent pay rise, and today we've introduced legislation to lock it in.

It means real change for this female dominated workforce. For a typical full-time educator, it means an extra $255 a week. It helps them pay the rent. It helps them pay the bills, save a little and plan for the future. The pay rise is working. Since we announced it, 20,000 more workers have joined the sector, and job vacancies are down by 31 per cent. This is great for children because we know how important it is that they see the same faces in early learning every week. It's good for families because the pay rise is tied to a cap on fee increases too, and it's also tied to meeting the national safety standards. That matters too, because quality early learning starts with valuing our educators.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Tyrrell, first supplementary?

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Fairly paying educators is essential to keeping them in the sector, but we also need to train the next generation. How is free TAFE helping more Australians become early educators and building the skilled workforce that children and families need for the future?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) | Link to this | Hansard source

This workforce was neglected and undervalued by those opposite for too long. Educators loved their jobs. They wanted to stay, but too many simply couldn't afford to. So we have worked on both sides of the problem. We're bringing more educators into the sector with free TAFE, and we're helping to keep them there with our historic pay rise.

Since 2023, more than 65,000 Australians have enrolled in free TAFE early childhood courses. Hannah, who I met recently, is studying a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care while completing a traineeship at Werribee Children's Centre. Indeed, Hannah went to that very centre as a child. What a great story. She's now training to become an early educator herself. This shows just what free TAFE can do. It opens doors for students and it helps build the workforce of the future too.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Tyrrell, second supplementary?

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

It's great to hear the Albanese Labor government is delivering real change to improve wages and recognise the value of our nation's early educators. Is the minister aware of any obstacles to lifting the wages and living standards of working Australians?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) | Link to this | Hansard source

You would think that everyone in this chamber would support fair pay rises for the people who educate our youngest Australians, but when Senator Hanson was asked about our 15 per cent pay rise, she said, 'Didn't they just get a pay rise?' One Nation likes to pretend that it stands with working people, but they never do. They oppose pay rises for workers at every opportunity, and the coalition stands with them to do just that. The coalition called this pay rise a sugar hit. They had a decade to back in educators and the families they rely on, and they never did. On this side of the chamber, we back workers and we back families, while the coalition and One Nation just back each other. It's a two-for-one package deal over there, and it's a shoddy deal that Australians just can't afford.