Thursday, 27 August 2026

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:18): I rise to update the house on how the Carroll Labor government has supported a historic pay rise for early childhood teachers and educators. As the funder of kinder in this state, I am extremely pleased to inform the house of the successful vote by employees endorsing the new Victorian Early Childhood Teachers and Educators Agreement and the Early Education Employees Agreement. With thanks to Early Learning Association Australia, Municipal Association of Victoria and the Australian Education Union as the negotiating parties for these agreements, I am pleased to confirm the majority of employees at all providers covered by the agreements have voted in favour of this historic deal. And it has been a resounding endorsement, with an overall yes vote of approximately 98 per cent for VECTEA providers and 99 per cent for EEEA providers.

These agreements will now progress to the Fair Work Commission for further approvals, and I am extremely proud that these agreements acknowledge early childhood teachers and educators for the important work that they do. These historic agreements deliver wage parity for kindergarten teachers with Victorian government schoolteachers for the very first time, a significant increase for kinder educators, with a total increase of 39.1 per cent on average, and new leadership allowances to recognise service leadership and management responsibilities, enhanced career structure and progression and enhanced leave, including study leave to support upskilling of the profession and provision of quality early childhood education.

This outcome has been achieved because it is our government that backs the early childhood workforce, and I can say with confidence that those opposite do not. How do we know this? It is because last time those opposite were in government they did not invest in early childhood. Not only that, they slashed $1 billion from education the last time they were in power. 3800 kinder teachers and –

David Davis: On a point of order, President, ministers can run their own race on their ministerial responses here, but they have got to be truthful, and this is not truthful; it is a lie.

The PRESIDENT: That is not a point of order; that is a point of grandstanding.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: What is true is that 3800 kinder teachers and 5200 educators benefit from these agreements, and this outcome will make a significant difference to this important workforce that is educating our youngest Victorians. I am so proud that we have supported this outcome.