Media release
8 August 2024
The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA) welcomes the Albanese Government’s announcement of a 15% wage increase for early childhood educators across Australia.
ELACCA CEO Elizabeth Death said that our early childhood workforce has been the mainstay of our economy, continuing to educate and care for our nation’s youngest, while dealing with burn-out off the back of the pandemic, and in response to critical and ongoing workforce shortages.
‘ELACCA, and the sector, has long been advocating for Government investment in wages for our workforce.’ Ms Death said. ‘Early childhood educators have one of the most important roles in the country, and deserve to be recognised and rewarded for their skill and dedication supporting the learning and development needs of our youngest Australians’.
‘Our workforce has faced chronic shortages across the country. A well-deserved lift in wages, together with a recruitment campaign, clear career pathways and professional recognition, will help the early learning and care system to continue to expand and enable more children to thrive and parents and carers to work.’
‘The economic and social value of early learning and care is widely understood, and Albanese Government’s investment in wages for our sector today helps demonstrate this.’
ELACCA welcomes the 15% pay rise for early childhood educators across 2 years, with a 10% increase from December 2024, and a further 5% increase from December 2025.
ELACCA notes that conditions of funding include constraints on fee increases and looks forward to further details, and the opportunity to work with Government to help inform implementation of these reforms.
‘We look forward to working with Ministers Clare and Aly on these reforms and other important activity over the months ahead, to ensure every Australian child has access to high-quality early learning and care, delivered by a qualified, skilled and deeply valued workforce,’ Ms Death said.
Ends
For more information please contact:
Sally Maddison
Early Learning and Care Council of Australia
PO Box 348
Annandale NSW 2038
Mob: 0498 228 762
About us:
The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA) was established to promote the value of quality early learning and care as an integral part of Australia’s education system. Our 17 CEO members include some of the largest early learning providers in the country, representing both not-for-profit and for-profit services. ELACCA members operate 2,011 long day care services, 370 preschool/kindergarten services and 92 OSHC services, covering every state and territory. They offer one-quarter of all the early learning places in Australia. Together, our members serve 369,776 children and their families, and employ more than 56,000 staff.
As well as promoting the value of quality early learning and the need for greater public investment, ELACCA advocates for the right of all children to access quality early learning and care, particularly children facing disadvantage. We do this by drawing on the knowledge and practical experience of our members and representing their views to decision makers in government, the media and the public.
