MEDIA RELEASE: ACA celebrates the Government’s commitment to fund a wage rise for the ECEC sector

MEDIA RELEASE

The Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector today celebrates confirmation from Treasurer Jim Chalmers that the Federal Government has committed to fully funding a wage rise for Early Childhood Educators across Australia.

The Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) commends the Government for the significant commitment to ensure the budget has provision to deliver on the successful outcome of the ongoing supported bargaining process.

ACA President Paul Mondo said; “This is a truly significant day in the history of the ECEC sector, particularly for our educators and teachers.”

“When ACA made a commitment to participate in the supported bargaining process, it did so on the condition that a successful outcome was reliant on Government funding to ensure no families would be worse off and that services would be fully funded for the impact of the final outcome.”

The supported bargaining application, made in June 2023, is an ongoing process in which unions and employers have been working alongside Government to improve wages and conditions for the early learning workforce.

“With the Government’s intentions now articulated we look forward to working with the Government and other parties in the near future to realise this outcome so the benefit can reach our workforce as soon as possible.”

“While there are further details to discuss and finalise in the weeks ahead, it is hoped that they can be resolved efficiently and effectively,” Mr Mondo said.

As the peak body for early learning (childcare) services, whose educators care for more than 850,000 families across Australia, ACA has consistently advocated for additional government support to help attract and retain more early learning educators, as the sector faces a critical national workforce
shortage.

“Our shared mission is to ensure that every child in Australia has the best start in life. There are two key factors for high-quality education and care to be available for every child — a workforce that is supported and paid competitively and a viable and sustainable sector,” Mr Mondo said.

PUBLISHED:  13 MAY 2024