Government to Spend $3.6 Billion on Childcare Worker Pay Rise

A small group of children play at the Robertson Street Kindy Childcare Centre in Helensburgh south of Sydney, Australia, on April 3, 2020. AAP Image/Dean LewinsThe Albanese government will spend an additional $3.6 billion (US$2.5 billion) over the next two years to fund a 15 percent wage increase for early childhood educators, extending a policy it says is helping address workforce shortages and keep childcare costs under control.According to the government, the package will lift weekly pay by $255 for educators and $410 for teachers relative to December 2024 levels, when the pay rise was first introduced.