Child Care News
Labor calls for fair pay for early childhood education workers' as they strike in Melbourne
Daily Telegraph - Alex Murray- September 5, 2018Victorian early childhood educators have gone on strike, demanding equal pay, saying that they often receive 50% of the average wage. Shadow employment minister Brenadan O'Connor says Labor will support the workers at the Fair Work Comission and if elected see that their needs...
Thousands of childcare workers go on strike
The Australian - September 5, 2018Thousands of childcare workers are walking off the job in protest of low wages, as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the sector will be better off from government investment. About 7000 early childhood workers will go on strike on Wednesday afternoon to hold rallies across the country, causing 350 centres...
Early childhood educators don't need thanks - they need a pay rise
Kidspot - Alys Gagnon - September 5, 2018Millions of parents will tonight pick their young children up from childcare. There, they will review their child's day – what she ate, who she played with, how many times she toileted, what she learned, and how her educators responded to her individual play choices with new...
Why Australia should invest in paying early childhood educators a liveable wage
The Conversation - Karen Thorpe, Paula McDonald & Susan Irvine - September 5, 2018Our study suggests educators pursue a range of options. The degree-qualified move up to the few better paid administrative roles within the sector or move out to the schooling sector where pay, conditions and status are higher. Diploma and Certificate trained educators may move around within...
"I want to stay in early childhood education. But every year we are pushed out."
Mamamia - Shannon Lavery - September 5, 2018But my colleagues and I are paid as little as $22 per hour. Many of us live on less than half the average national wage. I can't even imagine buying my own home. Even renting can be a struggle. My mother inspired me to work in early childhood education and care. She worked as an educator...
SBS News Childcare not 'child minding' says Shorten
SBS News - September 5, 2018As thousands of childcare workers prepare to walk off the job in protest of low wages, Labor leader Bill Shorten says the sector should be treated as education instead of a "child minding service". About 7000 early childhood workers will go on strike on Wednesday afternoon...
Child care costs remain 'deeply concerning'
News.com.au - September 4, 2018FULL INTERVIEW: Labor frontbencher Amanda Rishworth has told Sky News the government's new childcare plan is not adequately putting downward pressure on child care fees. Changes to the childcare system are now in place, with both parents required to be working...
Childcare centres to shut doors as workers strike over pay
Sydney Morning Herald - Alison Brown - September 4, 2018More than 100 Queensland childcare centres will shut their doors on Wednesday as workers walk off the job to fight for higher wages. Early childhood union United Voice says 7000 staff nationwide will walk out in protest over the sector's "wage crisis." The strike action...
Thousands of families to be affected by childcare strike
News.com.au - Clarissa Bye - September 4, 2018THOUSANDS of parents across NSW will have to pick up their children from childcare early today as workers stage a walkout in protest at low wages. At least 30 centres will be involved in the action in Sydney, with centres closing at lunchtime to attend a major rally at Martin Place...
My wife works but she's a great mother: Peter Dutton's au pair comments are so wrong
Women's Agenda - Angela Priestly - September 4, 2018Let's be clear, there are many reason for the growing market for au pairs in Australia, including a lack of affordable and flexible childcare options and an increase in women's workforce participation. It has nothing to do with women lacking any form of 'greatness', particularly when it comes...
Co-working space helps parents return to work sooner
The Courier Mail - Danielle Buckley - September 4, 2018A NEW co-working space is helping Queensland parents return to their jobs sooner. Bec Schultze from Browns Plains Kids Early Learning Centre has just introduced a co-working office space, called BubDesk, to her childcare facilities. BubDesk enables parents to work in an office...
Without a payrise, our thanks to childcare workers means little
The Advertiser - Alys Gagnon - September 3, 2018But, with fees commonly hitting $160-$170 a day per child in major metropolitan areas, and even with subsidies from government, parents simply have nothing more left to give. They cannot afford more and more increases in fees. This is not an argument against pay...
Anchorage Capital Partners puts Affinity Education sale on ice
Financial Review - Sarah Thompson & Anthony Macdonald - September 3, 2018Buyers have thrown their toys out of the cot when it comes to Affinity Education Group, owned by private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners. An oversupply of childcare places across the industry, as The Australian Financial Review has tracked in the past week, has proved...
Australia falling short on UN targets
Herald Sun - Susie O'Brien - September 3, 2018HIGH energy and childcare costs, rising obesity, and inaction on climate change have put Australia off track in meeting United Nations development targets by 2030. A report detailing progress towards UN Sustainable Development Goals reveals gains in health, education...
To prove they don't have a woman problem, the Liberals should fix this
The Canberra Times - Kasey Edwards - September 3, 2018Early childhood education in Australia is broken. It's broken for families, for the educators who teach our kids, and for taxpayers. The only people who the current system seems to be working for are the business owners like Dutton who are banking our tax dollars and those who...
