17 June 2026
The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA) welcomes the Australian Government’s decision to extend its landmark wage subsidy for early childhood educators.
The continuation of the Worker Retention Payment provides much-needed certainty for Australia’s early childhood educators, and reinforces the foundations for a strong early learning system in this country.
‘Today’s announcement is such good news for educators, and for the families that rely on early learning and care services,’ said Dr Amanda Walsh, the CEO of ELACCA.
‘On behalf of our members, we congratulate the Albanese Government on this $3.6 billion investment – the latest in a series of investments in the early learning system.
‘The Worker Retention Payment has been a game-changer for early childhood educators, providing them with decent remuneration, without requiring families to foot the bill through higher fees.’
Early childhood educators sit at the heart of Australia’s early learning and care system. When we pay our educators well, and invest in their skills and professional knowledge, we create strong, safe learning environments for young children.
ELACCA will continue to work with the Australian Government, to help ensure that policy decisions are based on sound evidence and a solid commitment to achieving the best outcomes for children, families and their educators.
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About ELACCA
ELACCA wants all children in Australia to have access to inclusive, high-quality early learning and care, delivered by a skilled, valued workforce.
We draw on the knowledge and experience of our members, contributing to the development of evidence-based public policy for the early years sector.
We seek to co-create with governments a strong, sustainable early learning and care system that can support all children and families across Australia.
Our 17 members represent both not-for-profit and for-profit providers of early learning and care services. They operate a total of 2,383 services, including 2,002 long day care services, 304 preschool/kindergarten services and 77 OSHC services, covering every state and territory. ELACCA members serve 356,339 children and their families, and employ more than 57,382 staff.
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