Legislation paves the way to hire childcare workers

The Education and Training Reform Amendment (Early Childhood Employment Powers) Bill 2024 will also enable the Minister for Children to make orders in relation to staff employment and the payment of fees by parents of children enrolled in the centres.

In his second reading speech Minister for Education Ben Carroll said the bill was necessary to help provide staff to 50 new government owned and operated early learning centres across Victoria to deliver childcare, kindergarten and Pre-Prep.

‘These centres will open between 2025 and 2028. All 50 centres will be located where they are needed most ‍– in areas with significant childcare shortage and higher rates of disadvantage,’ he said.

‘Where possible, centres will be co-located or integrated with schools, hospitals, TAFEs, or other community services. This will increase parents and carers’ access to early learning and childcare, and subsequently increase workforce participation,’ he said.

“ 'All 50 centres will be located where they are needed most – in areas with significant childcare shortage and higher rates of disadvantage.’ ”

Ben Carroll, Minister for Education

The opposition supported the legislation but moved a reasoned amendment, which was defeated.

Member for Kew Jess Wilson said studies had shown that ‘a lack of access to childcare takes almost 27,000 women entirely out of the workforce in Victoria and costs our economy here in Victoria about $1.5 billion a year in lost earnings’.

‘But the economic imperative is only part of that story. The most pressing imperative is to empower every mother and every family to strike the right balance between time spent with children and the myriad of tasks and mental load that go with raising a family and juggling the many demands on a family with time spent in the workforce making sure that income is available to provide for the family’s needs,’ she said.

“ ‘A lack of access to childcare takes almost 27,000 women entirely out of the workforce in Victoria and costs our economy here in Victoria about $1.5 billion a year in lost earnings.’ ”

Jess Wilson, Member for Kew

Nathan Lambert, Member for Preston said government run centres would not crowd out the private sector.

‘Fifty new early childhood centres will be well received. It is important to remember there are about 3000 or so kindergarten services across the state – I think about 5000 if we include the care services as well. That means that the state government’s market share, if I can use a term perhaps the opposition might use, is 1 or 2 per cent state government provided,’ he said.

Cindy McLeish, Member for Eildon noted the benefits for children participating in early learning.

‘Reading is an absolute key to success, and you can do the basics of counting, so when children start to go to school they are on the front foot, they are not on the back foot. It is really important to engage and include children in education early on,’ she said.

Paul Edbrooke, Member for Frankston said, as a former teacher, he had seen how children had benefited from early contact with educators.

‘We have got to think about the fact that there are many things that impede a child’s learning – they might be social, they might be economic, they might be health related.

‘Early diagnosis of any issues about how a child learns and how we need to change the way we teach is very, very important. Some of those things that might impede a child’s learning if not diagnosed early are ADHD, the autism spectrum and dyslexia ... I have witnessed it myself – it is a lightbulb moment when a child receives a diagnosis, their family acts on that and they receive adequate treatment or therapy for that diagnosis,’ he said.

Brad Rowswell, Member for Sandringham said while the bill allowed for the hiring of childcare staff it did not guarantee that those staff would be available.

‘One of the concerns we do have, which I think is a legitimate concern, is how the government will in fact find the 1200 new educators to staff, for example, the 35 new early learning centres. I do not think it is beyond reasonable to ask for a government plan to be assured that will happen,’ he said.

The legislation has now gone to the Legislative Council for consideration.