Mike Elliott: Early Childhood Spending

Extract from Hansard

Legislative Council
1 November 2001

Mike Elliott
Leader Australian Democrats
Member of the Legislative Council

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The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: The Minister for Education and Children's Services has provided the following information:

1. Based on available information the South Australian government's (including the commonwealth) expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GSP in 2000-01 was 0.30 per cent.

2. In South Australia, the State Government is the main provider and funder of preschool education services. The salary and conditions of employment for preschool teaching staff are the same as for other teaching staff employed by the Department of Education, Training and Employment and the average teacher salary is $46 633 per annum. The department does not believe that the salary and conditions of employment to preschool teachers are a disincentive for people to be employed as preschool teachers.

In the preschool sector, the department also employs early childhood workers and the average salary for these employees is $25 813 per annum. This salary compares favourably with the wages paid in the child care sector.

The majority of childcare services in South Australia are provided by community-managed groups and private providers. Funding for child care is a Commonwealth Government responsibility, which has taken the form of childcare benefits paid directly to parents in recent years. Average salaries in the childcare sector range from $24 076 per annum for a level 3 (unqualified worker) to $29 536 per annum for a level 5 (qualified worker). A Childcare Director (level 2) earns $39 572 per annum.

The State Government is not a party to the Child Care Workers Award, which sets the wages and conditions of employment for child care workers, and has little influence in the determination of these matters. A major review of wages for the child care sector was undertaken by the South Australian Industrial Relations Commission and resulted in a significant wage adjustment for the child care sector.

3. The OECD report outlined that early childhood education and care employment is highly gender segregated in all surveyed countries, irrespective of pay and conditions. Even in Denmark and Norway, where this issue has been systemically addressed by a combination of public policy and affirmative action strategies, the number of men employed in the early childhood field has grown very slowly.

In South Australia the universities are responsible for the training of teachers at all levels. Meetings are held regularly between senior staff of the Department of Education, Training and Employment and the deans of education at the universities. The department has discussed teacher intakes into their various courses. It has also raised the matter of the gender imbalance in the early years and primary years. This is also a priority that is being pursued at national level.

Selection of teachers to vacancies is made on the basis of best match to the vacancy descriptors provided by school or preschools. Factors such as gender and age cannot be used a determinants as this would leave the department vulnerable to complaints of discrimination as defined by the Equal Opportunity Act.

Recent studies conducted in South Australia clearly show that the critical factors which determine quality learning outcomes are not the gender of the teacher but the individual's teacher's ability to: