House of Representatives Chamber (part 2 of 3)
9 September 2026
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House of Representatives Australian Parliament
00:00 - 02:22
Speaker 1
And allows educators to understand each child's individual strengths, needs, and development. So when we talk about workforce retention, we're not simply talking about an employment statistic. A stable workforce means children receive consistent high-quality early learning from educators they know and trust. It gives parents confidence that when they drop their children off each morning, they are being supported by experienced and dedicated professionals. Most importantly, it gives, it helps give every child the strong start in life they deserve.
That is why continuing to invest in our early childhood education workforce matters so much. When combined with this government's support for minimum wage increases, a typical full-time educator will be around $255 better off each week compared with December 2024. For an early childhood teacher, that figure is around $410 a week. That is a meaningful difference. For workers paying the rent or mortgage, buying groceries and managing household bills, an extra $255 or $410 each week is substantial.
It also sends an important message about how we value this profession. People who dedicate their careers to educating and caring for our youngest Australians should not have to choose between the work they love and earning enough to support themselves and their families. Fair wages are fundamental to building a strong and sustainable early childhood education workforce. Better pay helps attract new educators into the sector while giving experienced workers more reason to build a long-term career in early learning. Importantly, it also recognizes the skill, responsibility and professionalism that educators bring to their work every single day.
But this government also understands that increasing wages cannot simply mean increasing costs for families. That is why funding under the worker retention payment is tied to a commitment from participating services to limit fee increases. The results so far show that approach is working. Fees at centers receiving the payment have grown at around half the rate of centers that have not signed up. Through this extension, the average family is expected to save around $1,500 over the next two years.
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