The wage rise for early childhood educators needs to be part of wider reform in the feminised care sector

Early childhood educators will welcome the announcement of a 15 per cent wage rise, but they are starting from a low starting base. They are currently the 13th lowest-paid workers in Australia. While the wage rise is available to all early childhood and outside hours educators, in short, not all educators are guaranteed a rise. These increases are not an improvement in the award wage; rather, they are $3.6 million in grants that will be awarded to early childhood services who agree not to increase their fees by more than 4.4 per cent per year. Previously, increases in Childcare Subsidy rates or the July 1, 2024 tax breaks resulted in hikes in fees by services. While some modest increases were necessary due to the increased costs of running a business, price gouging was reported.