15% pay rise for early educations locked in

Legislation to lock in a 15 per cent pay rise for early educators and strengthening safety requirements for services has passed the Parliament today.

The Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026 delivers a further $3.6 billion to fund the pay rise and put into law the requirement that services must meet national safety standards to receive the payment. 

When we were first elected, the workforce in this sector had been undervalued and underpaid for far too long.

Early educators were leaving the job they love in droves.

But that’s now changed because of the 15 per cent pay rise that this Government delivered almost two years ago.

When combined with our support for minimum wage rises, this means $255 more per week for a typical full-time educator and $410 more per week for early childhood teachers than before the pay rise. 

More than 80 per cent of eligible services are now receiving the payment.

Since the pay rise was announced, there are now 20,000 more early educators and job vacancies have decreased by over 31 per cent. 

At Australia’s largest child care provider, Goodstart Early Learning, the use of agency staff decreased by 69 per cent in the first year of the program.

This funding will continue to be tied to a commitment from services receiving the payment to limit fee increases for parents.

We are making sure workers can be fairly paid without the costs being passed on to families.

Since we announced the pay rise, fees at centres receiving the payment have grown at around half the rate of centres that don’t.

The average family will save about $1,500 over the next two years as a result of this investment.

The legislation also puts into law the requirement that early childhood education and care services meet the national safety standard as a condition of the payment.

Today 95 per cent of early learning services are meeting the safety standard, more than ever before, but we want that number to be higher.

From July 2027, if services don’t meet the National Quality Standard when it comes to safety, their funding can be cut or suspended. 

This requirement builds on the Albanese Government’s reforms to strengthen safety in early education and care.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

“Caring for and teaching children is some of the most important work in the country.

“Our early educators deserve every cent they get.

“The payment has worked to bring 20,000 more people into the early education workforce and to keep costs down for families.

“Turns out if you pay people more, more people want to do the job.

“This will also mean that by law, if you want the pay rise you need to be meeting national safety standards.   

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our children.

“This will help to make sure safety and quality in early education is what parents expect and what our children deserve.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Amanda Rishworth:

“Early childhood educators use their skills to perform a vital role at a critical time in a young person’s development and their tireless efforts should be properly valued. 

“Our Government’s historic support for early educator wage rises has made a tangible difference. When combined with Labor’s support for minimum wage rises, a typical full-time educator is earning $255 more per week and early childhood teachers are earning $410 more per week.” 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education Jess Walsh:

“I hear about the difference this pay rise is making every week when I meet with educators. 

“They tell me it’s helping them stay in the jobs they love.

“It’s providing more certainty and stability for the children in their care.

“And it’s helping build and retain the stable, dedicated workforce that children deserve.

“‘Educators fought for this pay rise – and they deserve every cent.”