26th Nov 2024, 9:45 PM – Senate Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) Bill 2024 - Second Reading - Criticism of Government

The majority voted against an amendment to the usual second reading motion, which is "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill). The amendment was introduced by Victorian Senator Sarah Henderson (Liberal).

Amendment text

At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate notes that:

(a) the Government's economic mismanagement and cost-of-living crisis has led to higher wage bills, and higher utility, rent and grocery bills for providers;

(b) the bill will place further administrative burden on providers, particularly small and medium providers;

(c) the Government's decision to include a workplace instrument in this bill is unnecessary and puts pressure on service providers to unionise their workforce;

(d) the bill will put further financial pressure on providers who will have to cover the majority of the on-costs, cannot increase their fees and have to pay the wages upfront, whilst receiving reimbursement in arrears;

(e) the Government has still not provided all relevant details of the grant program to service providers, which has put further undue stress on service providers, and created confusion within the sector;

(f) the Government has done nothing to address child care deserts and thin markets around the country, and this bill will not increase access for parents who currently have none; and

(g) the bill is a one-off sugar hit, which will only increase inflation and further contribute to current cost-of-living pressures".