So certain is the Australian government that childcare workers are being poorly paid that it is handing them an extra 15%—10% this December, followed by a further 5% in December 2025—and speaking as if there's more to come.

It is calling the increases "interim" because it expects the Fair Work Commission to offer at least that much. The commission has begun an investigation into what "early childhood education and care workers" are actually worth compared to workers in other occupations.

They're not paid as much as most. On a list of the average hourly rates for about 100 occupations prepared by the Bureau of Statistics, child caregivers are the eleventh lowest. They earn an average of $31.20 an hour—less than receptionists, who get $31.50, less than retail workers on $32, and less than data entry workers on $33.10.

Yet the Fair Work Commission says childcare workers are required to:

provide a nurturing environment and interact with the children in such a way that each individual child's emotional needs are met

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