Union joins Access for Every Child Coalition
2024 September Bedrock
From left: Tony Mahar of the National Farmers’ Federation; Jo Schofield of United Workers Union; Maddy Butler, campaign director of The Parenthood; rural mother and campaign supporter Kirsty Starling; Michele Carnegie of Community Early Learning Australia (CELA); and rural mother and campaign supporter Kate Brow
Our federal union has joined a new coalition fighting to ensure all children are granted equitable access to high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC), writes Emily Campbell.
Launched in May by not-for-profit advocacy organisation The Parenthood, the Access for Every Child Coalition is calling on all levels of government to urgently address the persistent lack of access to ECEC services experienced by families in rural, regional and remote Australian communities.
A partnership for change
IEUA Assistant Federal Secretary Veronica Yewdall said it was an easy decision for our federal union to sign up to The Parenthood’s Access Coalition, which currently has over 50 partner organisations, including the United Workers Union (UWU), Australian Education Union (AEU) and Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive By Five.
“The objectives of the Access Coalition align closely with several of the key changes our union has been advocating for to improve the ECEC sector for many years,” Veronica said.
“We are proud and excited to be working alongside a coalition of like-minded organisations who want to ensure every Australian child gets the best possible start to life with high-quality ECEC, regardless of where they live,” she said.
Campaign Director of The Parenthood Maddy Butler said the current ECEC system was not adequately serving rural, regional and remote communities.
“It can be challenging to access an early learning service anywhere in the country, but it is especially difficult in the regions,” Maddy said.
“The Access for Every Child Coalition advocates for accessible, high-quality early childhood education and care so that every regional, rural and remote child, family and community can thrive.
“Children in rural and remote areas are not receiving the same opportunities as those in urban centres, which impacts not only their individual development but also the broader community’s economic and social wellbeing,” she said.
Six key actions
At the campaign launch, the Access Coalition released a joint statement outlining six key strategic actions the federal government must take to effectively transform the landscape of early childhood education in underserved areas:
Professional respect, pay and conditions
Veronica said the ECEC sector has suffered from a lack of appropriate funding and status commensurate with schools, as well as disparity in recognition of the professionalism of its staff.
“Our union, while supporting calls for stronger investment and measures to address inequity, has also been focusing on the overly burdensome compliance requirements affecting the recruitment and retention of teachers in ECEC,” she said.
“Teacher shortages in the ECEC sector are a massive issue and pay rates for qualified early childhood teachers in some states and territories remain inferior to teachers in many primary and secondary schools.
“There is an urgent need to attract and retain qualified ECEC teachers in our sector because we are losing them due to burnout, unsustainable workload, insecure work, inferior pay and working conditions,” Veronica said.
Community consultation critical
Maddy said because the federal government had committed to universal access to early learning, it must deliver real solutions for every child and every region and there can be no ‘one size fits all’ approach.
“Solutions must be tailored to the needs and challenges of each area and include meaningful and effective community consultation and involvement,” she said.
“Anything that falls short of this will not be a real solution – Australia is a vast country, and our regions have differing needs, challenges and opportunities for service provision that best supports and empowers their children and families.
“Interim solutions could include mobile services, in-venue care and local initiatives to provide a stopgap for struggling families while long-term solutions are rolled out,” Maddy said.
An equity issue
As a union comprising 75 per cent women members, lack of ECEC services in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia is an alarming equity issue which should concern all IEU members.
Among the many devastating flow-on effects of lack of access to ECEC is the detrimental impact on women’s workforce participation and career prospects.
Veronica said various IEU branches across Australia had heard anecdotal reports from members located in rural, remote and regional parts of Australia who have struggled to enrol their own children in ECEC services.
“There are many instances of parents who wish to participate in the workforce but simply cannot or are forced to work reduced hours due to the absence of ECEC services in their local area,” Veronica said.
“ECEC is essential social infrastructure, and when parents and carers do not have ready access, their ability to participate in the workforce is severely compromised, which has flow-on effects for local businesses, essential services and the economy more broadly.
“Consider the case of a teacher living in a rural area, employed at a local school, who has no choice but to take a period of unpaid leave because there are no ECEC services available for their own children to attend.
“This not only diminishes their family’s financial stability but also disrupts the educational continuity for their students, affecting the overall quality of education in the community,” she said.
Unions winning for women
The union movement has a long and proud history of fighting to improve working women’s lives, particularly those employed in feminised sectors such as ECEC.
Recent wins like increased government-funded paid parental leave (PPL) and superannuation now being included in PPL will go a long way, but more must be done.
“In 2024, it is overwhelmingly women who still bear the brunt of unpaid domestic and caring responsibilities, who take unpaid leave or reduce their earning capacity to care for children and ageing relatives,” Veronica said.
“The gender pay gap persists, and women still retire with sparse super balances compared to men.
“Ensuring access for all Australians to high-quality ECEC is one of many obvious solutions all levels of government must deliver to improve the long-term financial outcomes for women workers and ensure children have the best possible start to life,” she said.
Veronica said she encouraged all IEU members to support the Access for Every Child campaign.
“I encourage members to visit the website and use the online templates to write to your local MP, urging them to heed our calls and take action,” Veronica said.
“Every voice counts in amplifying this message and making change.”
For more information and further details about the Access for Every Child campaign and to add your voice to the alliance of supporters, visit: www.theparenthood.org.au/access_for_every_child