Greens and UWU call on Labor to prevent early childhood educator pay cliff

The Australian Greens have joined the United Workers Union (UWU) in calling on the Albanese Government to take urgent action to secure fair wages for early childhood educators and prevent a looming pay cliff that threatens to destabilise the sector.

This call follows recent changes to the Children’s Services Award announced by the Fair Work Commission (FWC). While the Commission has endorsed long-term wage increases for educators, the increases will be phased in gradually over several years.

According to the Greens, this staggered approach risks creating a dangerous pay cliff, as temporary worker retention payments, currently in place to support workforce stability, are due to expire well before the full award increases take effect. Without urgent action, thousands of educators, the majority of whom are women, could face a real-terms pay cut just before Christmas 2025.

Greens Early Childhood Education and Care Spokesperson, Senator Steph Hodgins-May, described the situation as “cruel and indefensible,” warning that it places educators under unnecessary stress during a national cost-of-living crisis.

“Staggering this award increase will hurt educators and threatens to destabilise the entire workforce,” Senator Hodgins-May said. “The Albanese Government must fund the gap and lock in a permanent 15 per cent pay rise that workers and their unions have been calling for.”

The Greens say bridging the funding shortfall is critical not just for educators, but for the quality and continuity of care provided to children and families.

The Greens remain committed to ensuring early childhood educators receive the pay and recognition they deserve, and are urging the federal government to act now to prevent further workforce loss and disruption across the early learning sector.

With early learning services across the country already under pressure from workforce shortages and rising demand, sector stakeholders say bridging the pay gap is essential to ensuring the stability and sustainability of early childhood education in Australia.