15% pay rise for child care workers just another Labor lie

Angie Bell MP
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education
Shadow Minister for Youth
Federal Member for Moncrieff

MEDIA RELEASE

15% pay rise for child care workers just another Labor lie

24 January 2025

The Albanese Labor government should apologise to Australia’s early childhood education sector for lying about its pay rise promise, and making life harder for the educators.

It has been revealed that 85% of the nation’s eligible educators have still not received a pay rise under Labor’s signature Worker Retention Payment.

That’s despite Labor promising around 200,000 educators would receive a 15% pay rise over two years.

In fact, the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Dr Anne Aly, stood in Parliament House on August 15 and asserted that “this pay rise means that by the end of this year early childhood educators – around 200,000 of them right across Australia – will get at least an extra $100 in their pay packets.”

However, Department of Education data shows only 31,000 educators have, or will soon, receive funding. This policy is yet another Labor lie and another broken promise.

Small and medium early learning providers continue to be left behind by the Albanese Labor Government. Many have struggled to keep up with soaring costs under Labor’s cost of living crisis, while also trying to keep services affordable for families.

And now, they are drowning in administrative burden because of this ill thought-out policy.

It’s clear that Labor’s Worker Retention Payment is making a bad situation worse. Under the scheme, providers must cover the bulk of the on costs and are restricted on fee increases.

To add insult to injury, providers are being told to wait months before finding out if they have been approved, let alone when they will be paid the grant.

Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Angie Bell, said Labor has left the early childhood education sector in a world of uncertainty.

“This is the result of a Labor government that only cares about headlines. Sadly, it’s hardworking educators and families who are left to pick up the bill.

“Many small and medium sized early childhood education providers have told me how frustrated they are by the Worker Retention Payment. It’s an administrative nightmare they can’t afford, and there are so many unanswered questions.

“What happens at the end of the two year period? What happens if overall costs increase by more than 4.4% this year and 4.2% in the next? How long does a provider have to wait until they know how much funding they will receive from the government?

“It’s obvious the Worker Retention Payment is another policy on the run which is all about the spin and not the substance.

“Everyone in Labor, from the Prime Minister down, promised that up to 200,000 early childhood educators would receive a 10% pay rise by Christmas. They should apologise for the lie.

“Educators and families alike have suffered under nearly three years of Labor’s cost of living crisis. Out of pocket costs have risen and despite spending billions of taxpayer dollars, the Albanese Labor government has done nothing to address the issues of access, affordability or quality.”

Labor cannot be trusted with the education of our next generation. The Coalition will get the early childhood education sector back on track.

[ENDS]