ECEC educator pay in the spotlight at ALP National Conference over weekend

Early childhood education and care was on the agenda when the Australian Labor Party (ALP) held its National Conference over the weekend, with independent publication The Guardian reporting, live from the event, that Labor affirmed to end ECEC wage disparity.  

The party reportedly said: “No more pay discounts just because you’re a woman – that’s Labor’s promise. We will strive for pay equity for feminised industries, including: aged-care workers, early educators and paid carers.”

The reported comments are consistent with statements made on the ALP Twitter feed during the conference.

'We will pay early childhood educators what you deserve. That’s Labor’s promise.' – @billshortenmp #LabConf18 #auspol

— Australian Labor (@AustralianLabor) December 16, 2018

'Under a Labor Government, every Australian child will have access to two years of pre-school or kindergarten. 15 hours a week, 40 weeks a year, for every three year old and four year old in our nation.' – @BillShortenMP #LabConf18 #Auspol

— Australian Labor (@AustralianLabor) December 16, 2018

In the lead up to the Victorian election in late November, the Labor party unveiled a range of pre-election promises of relevance to the ECEC sector, including outlawing incentive and inducement payments, investing heavily in Universal Access and extending the program to include three year olds, and subsidising educator qualifications.

Further coverage of the Labor conference can be found here, with day two of the conference to take place today, including a discussion on education and democracy.