Page 469 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 February 2020
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for sport and for other school activities, to ensure that families on low incomes are appropriately supported. That is something that ACT Labor has always stood for. Of course, the ACT government is serious in making sure that families, particularly those who need extra support, are getting it through our phase-in of early childhood education, or universal access to free early childhood education, preschool, for three-years-olds, expanding the program from four-year-olds.
Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to convince the federal Liberal party to support our campaign to ensure support for the first two years of preschool, prior to kindergarten starting, some of the most important time for brain development and providing support for the social wellbeing of our children before they start school. We could not get that support from the federal Liberals, so we have gone out on our own to offer free preschool for three-year-olds for those families who need it most in the ACT.
The ACT Labor Party has always supported workers in the early childhood sector. It is a challenge because, unfortunately, early childhood education has become a profit-making market. More and more we see early childhood providers making money off the back of some of our most important education experiences for young people and our most precious young people, our children. But ACT Labor has a strong record of supporting these workers, unlike the Canberra Liberals.
When workers in the early childhood sector, a workforce that is predominantly female, campaigned with their union for pay equity, they were campaigning because, when compared to more male-dominated sectors with the same qualifications, they were paid 10 per cent less. You cannot deny the importance and the value of early childhood education for our community and how important it is that quality early childhood education is provided and is accessible, is provided by qualified workers and is affordable for families.
When that workforce took their claim to be paid an equitable pay rate—the same pay that more male-dominated sectors get—to the Fair Work Commission, it was knocked back and it was not supported by the federal Liberal Party. When those low-income workers in the ACT—and I include contract cleaners—were provided with portable long service leave here in ACT, the ACT government stood up and provided a portable long service leave scheme for these workers who are insecure in their work and are on low incomes.
They now have some certainty through a portable long service leave scheme, but the scheme was not supported by the Canberra Liberals. In fact, cleaners who were here during the implementation of the portable long service leave scheme for cleaners can still recall when Kate Carnell turned her back on those cleaners and walked out when that bill was being introduced. They have never forgotten that the Canberra Liberals turned their back on them at a time when they were being respected for the essential services that they provide to the ACT community.
ACT Labor will always stand up for improving equality for low-income families and workers in the ACT, because the Liberal Party’s policies go in a very different direction. You do not have to look very far for what the Liberal Party stands for and
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