Why are child carers still paid less than retail workers? And how can we help fix it?
- Written by Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

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...