30 NovAdvocacy update: ACCC & Workforce Summit
ELAA would like to continue our efforts to ensure our members understand what our Advocacy Solutions Team is doing to support our sector.
On 30 November, Megan O’Connell – ELAA Director of Advocacy and Member Solutions attended the second Workforce Summit in Canberra. Attending the summit were Minister Burke (Workplace Relations) and Minister Aly (Early Child Education), union representatives, peak body organisations and other relevant stakeholders. This Summit focused on how the workforce can be supported at all levels, particularly with bargaining mechanisms to ensure workers, employers and government are working together to support the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector.
With ELAA’s role in the development of the Victorian Early Childhood Teachers and Educators Agreement (VECTEA), it is important for ELAA to be included in these sector workforce discussions. ELAA supports the federal government’s involvement in the workforce issues the ECEC sector faces and encourages development of co-government funding between both state and federal governments as part of an ECEC workforce strategy.
Child care cost inquiry
On 28 October 2022 the Treasurer directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to conduct an inquiry into the cost of child care. ELAA reached out to the ACCC to offer our assistance and insight into their inquiry. We plan to assist the ACCC in its research to ensure that their reporting and solutions are evidence focused and accurately reflect the issues the ECEC sector currently faces. The ACCC has agreed to meet with ELAA in the new year, where we will discuss our role as a peak body and discuss the role that we can play in ther inquiry.
To read the ACCC’s approach to the child care inquiry, please CLICK HERE.
