Childcare workers have welcomed a government-funded pay increase saying it will help address the staff-shortages plaguing the sector. The 15% wage increase will be rolled out over 12 months from this December.
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00:00A really significant day for the childcare workers who've been pushing for a wage increase
00:07for many years now.
00:08From December, childcare workers on an award wage will have an extra $103 per week in their
00:15pocket.
00:16And then from December next year, when the full 15% wage increase comes through, they
00:21should have an extra $155 per week in their pockets.
00:27This is a two-pronged announcement from the Albanese government.
00:30It's going to be providing childcare centres with this money to facilitate this wage increase,
00:37but there's a condition attached.
00:40Those childcare centres need to essentially promise that they won't increase fees for
00:46families by more than 4.4% over the next year.
00:52When we look at what the Albanese government appears to be doing here, it looks like they're
00:55trying to kill two birds with one stone.
00:57They want to increase the wages of childcare workers.
01:01They also want to limit the amount that families are having to spend on childcare in the midst
01:08of this cost-of-living crisis.
01:10When we zoom out even further and see the broader context of this announcement, we know
01:14that the Albanese government is trying to really reframe and reposition the way that
01:19we look at childcare as a society.
01:22There were comments from the Education Minister this morning suggesting that when it comes
01:27to childcare, really the childcare debate is over.
01:30He says it's not babysitting.
01:32They lift up our kids.
01:33He's referring to childcare workers here.
01:35We're lifting their pay.
01:39There's another element to what the Albanese government is trying to do here with this
01:42wage increase, and that's really arresting the decline in workers in this industry.
01:48We know that there have been plenty of workers in this industry leaving because of the pay
01:53and the conditions.
01:54It's something that Anthony Albanese spoke of earlier on ABC.
01:59What we know is that during the pandemic, these are people who kept Australia
02:04and our economy going, and they deserve more than our thanks.
02:08They deserve decent wages and conditions.
02:10And the Productivity Commission inquiry has shown that unless we do something
02:16about wages in this sector, we won't have a workforce.
02:20It is the case that you shouldn't earn more just stacking shelves than you do looking
02:24after our youngest Australians in such a fantastic way.
02:30Prime Minister Anthony Albanese there talking about the 15 per cent wage increase for
02:35childcare workers.
02:36Now, when it comes to this idea of creating a universal childcare for all Australian
02:41families, treating childcare in the same way that we do for school, where anyone can
02:47basically just go along for free, the Productivity Commission are looking into that.
02:52They've filed their final report for the government.
02:54We're awaiting the release of that final report.
02:56But really, Lorna, today, all about the workers, this 15 per cent pay rise.
03:01It's been welcomed by advocates.
03:03And also this morning, we've heard from childcare workers who are welcoming it as well.