The NSW Labor Government is under mounting pressure to boost funding to community preschools after the Fair Work Commission backed a union push to lift wages for thousands of early childhood teachers and educators.
State Nationals MP for Clarence Richie Williamson said the independent industrial umpire had made its position clear.
“The umpire has spoken,” Mr Williamson said.
“The NSW Labor Government must now accept the Fair Work Commission’s recommendation and immediately fund pay rises that properly value the work of community preschool educators.”
The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch has been campaigning for increased funding to close the pay gap between teachers in community preschools and their counterparts in public schools and government preschools.
After 18 months of negotiations with the State Government broke down, the matter was left to the Fair Work Commission. While the Commission’s recommendation is not binding, it has effectively supported the union’s call for the State to commit to funding that would bring community preschool wages into line with the public system. The proposed changes could be worth up to $17,500 for some educators.
Mr Williamson said the current disparity is stark and unsustainable.
“This is a workforce crisis created by chronic underfunding,” he said.
“There are more than 700 community preschools across NSW providing high-quality early education, many in regional communities like ours. They cannot continue to operate under a model that undervalues their teachers.”
Under the current award, beginning preschool teachers earn $72,497, compared with more than $90,000 in government preschools. At the top end, community preschool teachers earn $93,289, while similarly experienced teachers in state schools can earn more than $129,000.
The union says most community preschools are run by volunteer parent committees and rely almost entirely on NSW Government funding, leaving them unable to independently raise salaries.
“The NSW government must accept the umpire’s recommendation and immediately fund pay rises that properly value the work of staff in community pre-schools,” NSW/ACT branch secretary Carol Matthews said.
“The NSW government has undervalued their work for far too long. This has caused a workforce crisis that must be fixed by paying salaries comparable with teachers in schools.”
Overwhelmingly, the community preschool workforce is female. The Commission’s reasoning included the need to address gender pay inequality, with the union arguing the State “needs to fund it in order to, in one part, address gender inequality in pay.”
Mr Williamson said he had consistently advocated for pay parity, speaking in Parliament and standing alongside educators and colleagues at a Day of Action outside NSW Parliament last October.
“I have stood shoulder to shoulder with preschool educators and I will continue to do so,” he said.
“These are not-for-profit, community-run services focused entirely on children’s education and wellbeing — not profit margins. They deserve fair, sustainable funding and their educators deserve fair pay.”
The union has warned that without increased funding, community preschools may be forced to cap enrolments, increase fees or close altogether. Many of the 700 services are in regional communities, where alternative early learning options are limited.
When questioned in Parliament, Premier Chris Minns pointed to the Government’s plan to build 100 new public preschools, including 49 in regional NSW.
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