A looming wage hike for childcare workers should be made as easy as possible for staff to attain, the acting prime minister says, as thousands of workers in the sector have signed on to a pay rise.
Staff at Goodstart Early Learning voted for a new enterprise agreement that would trigger a 10 per cent pay increase from December, followed by a five per cent rise 12 months later.
The more than 16,000 educators at the organisation will be among the first in Australia to have the government's pay rise for the sector come into effect.
Parliament passed laws earlier in November for the 15 per cent rise over two years, which is set to increase the award rate by $155 a week by the end of 2025.
The $3.6 billion proposal, due to flow on to 200,000 workers, was put forward as a way to address staff shortfalls in the sector.
Childcare centres could only have the wage rise for staff if they agreed to cap fees for parents to 4.4 per cent over 12 months.
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said more centres would have the pay rise come into effect in coming weeks, but said the process to do so needed to be simple.
"We are working with the sector about how to streamline that as much as possible," he told reporters in Nowra on Thursday.
"Of course, the first wage increase comes through in December and we're obviously keen to be listening to the sector about those issues.
"This is a great sector, a great industry to work in. We need to be making sure that we are paying people properly so that they will work in it."
The wage rise for early childhood educators was long overdue, ACTU assistant secretary Joseph Miller said.
"Early childhood educators have been taken for granted for too long and 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," he said.
"For many who have struggled to meet the cost of daily essentials, it will give them more stability in their lives."
As part of the enterprise agreement with Goodstart, a multi-employer agreement between 64 employers in the sector and the United Workers Union means the wage rises extend to a further 12,000 employees in the sector.
Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly welcomed the enterprise agreement signed by Goodstart.
"This is a great outcome for the highly feminised Goodstart workforce. Goodstart’s continued investment in their workforce has led to positive impacts for employee retention and engagement," she said.
"A sustainable and high-quality early childhood education and care workforce is a vital step towards building a universal early learning and care system that works for children and families."
The government is also examining a possible move to universal childcare, after the Productivity Commission recommended it be made free for low-income families.
