Interview - ABC News
GEMMA VENESS, HOST: Today, early childhood educators will receive the second part of a government-funded pay rise. Political reporter Claudia Long spoke to the Minister.
JESS WALSH, MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND MINISTER FOR YOUTH: So, this is a really important day today. This is the second part of our 15 per cent pay rise for early childhood educators. It's $160 a week extra for our nation's dedicated, passionate early educators. And what we're hearing out there is that it's helping educators stay in the jobs that they love. For too long, our nation's early educators were undervalued, they weren't paid enough, and what they were telling us was that love just didn't pay the rent. That's why we're investing in this historic 15 per cent pay rise and it's paying dividends. We're seeing a strong, stable workforce develop. We're seeing educators stay in the jobs that they love. That's good for them, but it's really good for our nation's children too.
CLAUDIA LONG, POLITICAL REPORTER: The Productivity Commission called for an independent review of standards and their enforcement. Are you going to commission an independent review?
WALSH: It's really important to remember and recognise that the Productivity Commission in its report, called for a commission not for safety reasons, not for reasons about keeping our children safe. They called for a commission that would be focussed on future planning in the sector. We think a commission could be part of the future. But when it comes to keeping children safe and when it comes to quality early childhood education, we're focussed on the urgent reforms that are needed right now. And that is what we're implementing.
LONG: If I may ask you about that, because actually, I've got this inquiry report right here from the Productivity Commission and it does specifically include, recommendation 8.2, and it's a new review of the National Quality Framework and it mentions an independent review with a specific focus on the way services are assessed against the National Quality Standard, and that includes safety. Will you commission an independent review as recommended by the Productivity Commission?
WALSH: Well, we're working our way through the Productivity Commission recommendations. One of the recommendations of the Productivity Commission was a significant pay rise for the early childhood workforce. And that is what we are delivering today with the second part of this historic pay rise. The Productivity Commission also recommended that we improve accessibility to early childhood education by abolishing the activity test, which we're doing from January 1.
LONG: But just on this specific recommendation, it's quite clear. An independent review of the National Quality Framework. It's a fairly straightforward question. Will you commission an independent review?
WALSH: We're focussed on the measures that will keep children safe, today. We're working our way through the Productivity Commission findings. We're implementing those findings. We're responding to the Productivity Commission right now with the pay rise. We're responding to it with our 3 Day Guarantee, which starts in January, to guarantee three days of Child Care Subsidy to every child in Australia. And we're responding to it with our billion-dollar Building Early Education Fund, to make sure that there's more accessible, affordable early education in outer suburbs and regions. When it comes to new bodies or new inquiries or new commissions, we are squarely focussed on doing the work today to strengthen our system. And we are. We are strengthening the workforce, we are strengthening the rules that operate in services, and we're strengthening the regulation of the sector as well.