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
VGVMEDIA/ShutterstockSo 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...







