Early childhood educators receive 15 per cent pay rise

The Albanese Labor Government has delivered a historic 15 per cent pay rise for early childhood educators, with the final five per cent hitting educators pay packets today. 

This will mean an extra $160 per week in educators’ pockets. When combined with our support for minimum wage rises, this means wages are up by $200 per week for a typical full-time ECEC educator and $316 per week for an early childhood teacher compared to the award rates a year ago.  

Educators received the first 10 per cent of this pay rise last December, and 200,000 educators are already supported under the Government’s historic $3.6 billion investment.

This pay rise is designed to attract and retain high-quality educators in a sector that is critical to Australia’s future.

And we are already seeing this wage rise pay dividends in the sector: 

• The number of educators is up 6 per cent (15,100 more educators from August 2024 to August 2025).
• Vacancy rates are down 14 per cent from October 2024 to October 2025.
• Staffing waivers are down 9 per cent from October 2024 to October 2025.
• And one large provider, Goodstart, has reported a 5 per cent reduction in the use of casuals, and a 70 per cent reduction in the use of labour hire.

This has turned around the workforce crisis, where we inherited record high vacancy rates, burnout, casualisation, and chronic low pay.

We are strengthening the early education and care workforce – because a quality workforce is the foundation of quality early learning.

To help keep out-of-pocket expenses down, eligibility for the Worker Retention Payment is linked to a cap on fee increases. 

This supports a wage increase for more workers while keeping fees affordable for families. 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

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

“And our early educators deserve to be paid fairly for that work.

“That’s why we’re delivering this 15 per cent pay rise, with the final 5 per cent hitting the pay packets of early educators from today.

“We know the pay rise is working to bring more people into sector and help to keep the great educators we’ve already got.”

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

“ECEC workers deserve to be fairly paid and feel properly valued. That’s why our Albanese Labor Government has delivered this much needed pay rise.

“This is another example of the Albanese Government’s efforts to help Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn.

“The Coalition oversaw a broken bargaining system that failed to deliver any agreements. That’s why our Government made changes to multi-employer bargaining which were critical to see the successful conclusion of agreements like this one covering thousands of ECEC workers.

“Sussan Ley has said she wants to get ‘stuck into’ workplace relations this Christmas. She needs to come clean on whether or not she’ll get stuck into cutting pay for educators like these.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth Jess Walsh:

“For too long, our early childhood educators were underpaid, undervalued and overlooked. 

“And as a result, they were walking out the door.

“With the Albanese Labor Government’s 15 per cent pay rise, we’re seeing that turn around. 

“This helps create a long-term stable workforce, and that strengthens the whole sector.”