The Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee is inquiring into the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026. This Bill extends Federal funding for grants to early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers to support wage increases for ECEC workers. The grants will now be available until July 2028. The Bill also allows the Commonwealth to impose obligations requiring ECEC providers to meet National Quality Standards in relation to children’s health and safety as a condition of receiving the grant.
NFAW supports the Bill. ECEC workers, who are predominantly women, have been consistently undervalued when it comes to wages, despite ECEC being critical to the Australian economy. However, we are concerned that the gendered implications of the grant are not clearly articulated in the grant legislation. For example, the stated objects of the grant legislation include implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but do not reference the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. Consistently identifying the gender impacts of policy is a critical part of gender responsive budgeting. Our submission makes some suggested additions to highlight the gendered impact of the grant program.