[Australia] Early Childhood Education and Care Worker Retention Payment

The Australian Government will fund a 15 per cent above award wage increase for all eligible early childhood education and care (ECEC) workers through the ECEC Worker Retention Payment (Payment), Fair Work Ombudsman reports.

The wage increase will be phased in over a two-year grant period

Eligible ECEC employees will reportedly receive a:

• 10 per cent increase from December 2024

• further 5 per cent increase from December 2025.

The Payment is administered by the Department of Education. Its website has further information about the Payment and how to apply.

Eligible ECEC employees include workers employed in a Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approved Centre-Based Day Care or Outside School Hours Care service who are:

• covered by the Children’s Services Award or the Educational Services (Teachers) Award, or

• primarily performing duties covered by one of these awards but who aren’t covered by the award (for example because they’re covered by a different award or instrument).

ECEC providers will reportedly be required to satisfy certain criteria to be eligible to receive the Payment. 

These include that a provider must:

• have a legally enforceable workplace instrument in place:

• until at least the end of the grant period (November 2026)

• that includes an obligation to pay workers at least 10 per cent above current award rates

• provides for an additional 5 per cent above applicable award rates from 1 December 2025

• take all reasonable steps to employ all eligible ECEC employees at their service under such an instrument (employers generally need to engage at least 95 per cent of employees under such an instrument to be eligible)

• provide information to all eligible ECEC employees on the types of compliant workplace instruments.

Detailed information about the eligibility criteria is available here (Guidelines), with further information on workplace instruments and bargaining available from the Department of Education here.

Source: Fair Work Ombudsman

(Links via original reporting)

The Australian Government will fund a 15 per cent above award wage increase for all eligible early childhood education and care (ECEC) workers through the ECEC Worker Retention Payment (Payment), Fair Work Ombudsman reports.

The wage increase will be phased in over a two-year grant period

Eligible ECEC employees will reportedly receive a:

• 10 per cent increase from December 2024

• further 5 per cent increase from December 2025.

The Payment is administered by the Department of Education. Its website has further information about the Payment and how to apply.

Eligible ECEC employees include workers employed in a Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approved Centre-Based Day Care or Outside School Hours Care service who are:

• covered by the Children’s Services Award or the Educational Services (Teachers) Award, or

• primarily performing duties covered by one of these awards but who aren’t covered by the award (for example because they’re covered by a different award or instrument).

ECEC providers will reportedly be required to satisfy certain criteria to be eligible to receive the Payment. 

These include that a provider must:

• have a legally enforceable workplace instrument in place:

• until at least the end of the grant period (November 2026)

• that includes an obligation to pay workers at least 10 per cent above current award rates

• provides for an additional 5 per cent above applicable award rates from 1 December 2025

• take all reasonable steps to employ all eligible ECEC employees at their service under such an instrument (employers generally need to engage at least 95 per cent of employees under such an instrument to be eligible)

• provide information to all eligible ECEC employees on the types of compliant workplace instruments.

Detailed information about the eligibility criteria is available here (Guidelines), with further information on workplace instruments and bargaining available from the Department of Education here.

Source: Fair Work Ombudsman

(Links via original reporting)