This year the Federal Government announced the Early Years Quality Fund as part of its National Quality Agenda for early childhood education and care. There will be an additional $300 million funding to support childcare service providers to pay a $3 per hour wage increase to Certificate III qualified educators. This offers a fantastic boost to the Childcare sector and is a great opportunity for childcare providers to raise the standard of care provided without incurring business costs. To find out whether you are eligible to receive this funding, please see the Government's defined set of eligibility criteria.
To access this funding, wage increases must be included in an enterprise agreement. Enterprise agreements are workplace agreements made between employers and employees about the terms and conditions of employment. Changes made to these agreements must undergo an approval process with the Fair Work Commission.
At Swaab we are more than equipped to assist you with putting in place the right agreement to access this wonderful funding initiative. Employment partner Warwick Ryan specialises in enterprises agreements. Because of our work in this industry with other independent operators elsewhere in the state we can assist you with implementing such an agreement at a significantly reduced fee.
For further information please contact:
Warwick Ryan, Partner
Phone: + 61 2 9233 5544
Email: wpr@swaab.com.au
Laura Sowden, Solicitor
Phone: + 61 2 9233 5544
Email: lms@swaab.com.au
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.