In light of the imminent election, Julia Gillard, Sarah Hanson-Young and Sharman Stone were recently invited by ECA to contribute a written response to ECA's Every Child magazine regarding the issues below.

ECA is looking for a commitment to:

• The ECEC reform agenda particularly those parts of it that relate to staff qualifications and staff: child ratios, including the commitment to review the ratios for babies in 2014 to see if further improvements can be made and, the implementation of a national quality standards rating system in ECEC services.
• Make further investments to support staff already in ECEC services to gain qualifications, particularly for Diploma holders to upgrade to EC teacher qualifications—note this will/must mean wage maintenance for these staff and fee support possibly via bonded scholarships. We should allow staff the opportunity of time off work to take courses to improve their qualifications. Otherwise low paid workers are caught in a trap of not being able to afford to improve their qualifications.
• Take action to ensure that Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) deliver robust, high calibre qualifications—not courses which short sell students and children because they are fast tracked so that RTO’s get maximum benefit from the government’s EC training investment. This could be achieved via a requirement that RTO’s meet criteria and course guarantee conditions if their students are to access government funding. This is a clear return on investment issue.
• Action to build a robust approach to wages, conditions and career structure in the ECEC sector. Such action is fundamental to the achievement of the qualification reforms that are at the heart of the ECEC reform agenda.
• Recognise that the implementation of the national quality reform agenda will increase the cost of childcare, by making a commitment to raise the Child Care Benefit as the quality reforms re staff qualifications and ratios take effect.
• Continuing efforts to bridge the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This will mean a strong focus on programs to support Aboriginal Children’s services but also real efforts to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families who are in mainstream services, which is the majority of these families overall.

• Consult with the ECEC sector on the establishment of an Office of Children’s Commissioner.