Tasmanian Labor pledges to invest in ECEC if elected

Tasmania’s Labor leader Rebecca White has indicated that a future Labor Government would invest in early childhood education, and would prioritise efforts to ensure that those who enter the sector are highly trained and provided with future career opportunities.

Ms White noted that the ECEC sector has a serious shortage of skilled educators, with many choosing to pursue other areas of employment due to low wages, not enough professional development and a lack of career progression.

“With a shortage of skilled educators, it is not surprising there were 394 serious incidents across Tasmania’s Early Education and Care Centres last year, with 65 requiring an ambulance and another 50 kids (sic.) who were either locked out or went missing,” she said.

Ms White also pointed to statistics that showed only 86 per cent of Tasmanian state-approved facilities met or exceeded the National Quality Standards, compared with 91 per cent nationally. 

“As well as having a regulatory responsibility, the State Government has a workforce development role and it needs to lift its game,” she said.

Shadow Minister for Education and Early Years Josh Willie said there was nothing more important than a child’s education to set them up for a good life.

“As a former teacher, I know career education in our schools is letting industry and young people down. We need to better connect young people with meaningful experiences of the workplace in school, which helps them understand the pathway to a job they want and makes learning more purposeful,” he added.

“We know how important early childhood development is for education outcomes and Tasmania has some of the poorest literacy rates in the nation.”