Early Childhood Educators pay rise

 I rise to congratulate our nation’s early childhood educators, particularly Cass, who visited me this week with her three-month-old son, Archie. It’s wonderful to know that earlier childhood educators like Cass will receive a 15 percent pay rise, backed by our government. It’s also wonderful to know that, when her little Archie enters early childhood education, educators will be respected in their pay packets.

This is a pay rise that is absolutely well deserved because our early childhood educators are professional. They are dedicated. They are essential, and they absolutely deserved to be backed by their government. That is exactly what we are doing. We are delivering this for Cass. We’re also delivering it for Archie, and we’re delivering it for all of the Archies who are yet to come and who deserve quality early childhood education and care based on respected early childhood educators who can actually afford to stay in the jobs that they love.

This is a pay rise that means at least $100 more a week in the pay packets of early childhood educators. It means respect. It means recognition. As educator Gemma told me, this is for the next generation of early childhood educators too. I want to shout out Brenda, an educator who I met last week as well. She told me that this pay rise is about being recognised, it’s about being valued, and it’s about being needed. Congratulations again to all the early childhood educators. We see the work that you do. We value it, and we want to see it valued in your pay packets. We know that the Liberals love low wages. We know that they particularly love them for the women of Australia, but we believe in the women of Australia, and we back their security.