Goodstart educators secure 10 per cent pay rise before Christmas, IEU NSW/ACT reports

16,000 early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals working for Goodstart Early Learning have signed on to a new enterprise agreement with their employer, which will see them receive a ten per cent pay rise in December. 

The agreement covers 16,000 workers in more than 650 services across Australia, who will be among the first workers in the ECEC sector to receive the wage rises. 

An additional five per cent pay rise will take place in December 2025, with the Goodstart agreement occurring alongside a multi-employer agreement negotiated between 64 employers, the United Workers Union, other unions, and the Federal Government that will extend to a further 12,000 workers. 

For the average employee, the pay rise will equate to an additional $103 a week from December, increasing to an additional (total) of $155 a week come December 2025. 

“Early childhood educators provide an enormous service to the community and this pay rise is long overdue,” ACTU Assistant Secretary Joseph Mitchell said.

“This pay boost comes off the back of years of campaigning that has proven beyond any doubt the quality, skill, and value of their work.”