Submissions and statements
A core function of Early Childhood Australia is to develop policies on early childhood education and care and advocate for the rights of children. This is achieved through the development of submissions and statements, including consultation with our membership, the early childhood sector and related organisations.
For more information about submissions and current inquiries, please email policy@earlychildhood.org.au.
Recent Reports and Statements
Jobs and Skills Australia: Draft Core Skills Occupation List
Early Childhood Australia (ECA) recognises and appreciates our ongoing relationship with the Department for Home Affairs and Jobs and Skills Australia, through written submissions and regular meetings to ensure early childhood educators and teachers are considered as part of the broader migration strategies. Similarly, we see a well-conceived strategy to attract and retain skilled early childhood education and care teachers and educators, many of whom are migrants, as critically important to overcome the well-documented gaps in our sector. We pride ourselves on a rich and diverse workforce to ensure every child has their needs met.
Read more here: Jobs and Skills Australia – Draft Core Skills Occupation List
National Model Code for Early Childhood Education and Care
The ACT Government, working alongside the Australian and the South Australian Government have released the National Model Code and Guidelines to support child safe practices for the use of electronic devices when taking images or videos of children, while providing early childhood education and care. ECA were invited to provide input on a confidential draft of the National Model Code and Guidelines for early childhood education and care services.
The Model Code is a voluntary, interim measure while future legislative reform is being considered by governments, and the Guidelines will be in place to support the implementation of the Model Code. Providers of early childhood education and care under the National Quality Framework are strongly encouraged to adopt the Model Code and would be invited to opt in.
Read more here: National Model Code for Early Childhood Education and Care
Summary and response to 2024-25 Federal Budget
The Federal Government has committed to a wage increase for early childhood educators, superannuation on paid parental leave and additional funding in 2024-25 for the Inclusion Support Program. Unfortunately, no changes to the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Activity Test were announced, with the Government indicating that they will wait until after receiving the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Universal Early Childhood Education and Care before deciding on financing reforms. ECA looks forward to continuing to work with the Government on future reforms to deliver universal early childhood education, better wages and professional recognition for early childhood educators.
Read more here: Early Childhood Australia’s response to the 2024-25 Federal Budget
Summary and response to ACCC Inquiry
Early Childhood Australia (ECA) welcomes the second interim report from the ACCC Inquiry. We broadly support the findings contained in that report, though we caution against the use of market analysis and assumptions to describe what we see as an essential services sector – part of the social infrastructure that every community needs. Conceptualizing early childhood services as a sector rather than a market would drive better policy and program decisions in the future. Both the education sector and the health sector have a mix of providers and service types, but are conceptualised as professional services essential to every community and every family. Early childhood education and care should be seen in the same way.
Adopting the language of ‘early childhood education and care’ would also represent an important demonstration of respect for the profession of early childhood educators, teachers and service leaders. We have provided a response to each recommendation and welcome the opportunity to engage further, particularly in relation to the potential for alternative financing models that would improve affordability and accessibility. ECA also has a strong interest in quality drivers including the importance of investing in the workforce and maintaining Australia’s highly effective National Quality Framework.
Read more here: Early Childhood Australia’s response to the ACCC Interim Report
Be You engagement with vulnerable children and families: Participation and possibilities – August 2021
Be You is investigating ways to deepen its reach and engagement with early childhood education and care services that work with vulnerable children and families. The Be You engagement with vulnerable children and families: Participation and possibilities report was prepared for ECA by Victoria University (Mitchell Institute and Centre for International Research on Education Systems) to support this investigation. This report was originally published by Beyond Blue Be You and has been syndicated with permission.
Proposed National Early Language and Literacy Strategy – September 2021
ECA is part of a National Early Language and Literacy Coalition (NELLC) made up of 10 peak bodies in the early childhood and literacy sectors. NELLC developed a Proposed National Early Language and Literacy Strategy which was released on Monday 6 September 2021.
The NELLC is calling on governments to adopt a nationally consistent approach to enhancing infants’ and children’s early language and literacy learning and development before they start school. You can read more here.
‘How to talk about early childhood education and care’ resource – July 2021
ECA has developed this resource, ‘How to talk about early childhood education and care’ to promote the use of consistent, affirmative, inclusive and sector-accepted language about ECEC that supports the professionalism of the sector. This resource was developed with support from the Minderoo Foundation – Thrive by Five.
Download a PDF version here.
State of Early Learning in Australia Report – 2019 
The State of early learning in Australia 2019 provides the most comprehensive summary of the early learning sector to date.
Find out more here.
Working Together to Ensure Equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in the Early Years – Feb 2019
Early Childhood Australia and SNAICC—National Voice for our Children have released a joint position paper: Working Together to Ensure Equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in the Early Years.
Find out more here.
ECA Statement on Play
This Statement considers play and young children aged from birth to eight years. The right to play, however, extends to every child of any age, ability or background and is relevant in schools and other learning environments, services, and communities in which children participate.
Statement on young children and digital technologies – 2018
ECA has developed a Statement to guide and inform the early childhood sector, and families and care-givers of young children and decision-makers about using digital technologies with and for young children.
Find out more here.
Statement on the inclusion of children in early childhood education and care – October 2016
This statement explains inclusion. It outlines why inclusion is important, and it sets out what is required from everyone involved in the delivery of early childhood education and care to ensure inclusion of every child.
Find out more here.
CRC25: Australian Child Rights Progress Report – 2020
ECA authored the Early Childhood Education and Care Chapter of the Australian Child Rights Taskforce Report on 25 years of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Australia. The report considers the progress for children across a number of key social policy areas including family life, education and care, justice and health, and what this has meant for children. Download the report here.
Early Childhood: Fast Facts – 2021
This resource has been developed by Early Childhood Australia to provide key information on early childhood and useful contacts for matters such as complaints, parenting support and quality ratings. View it here.
Submissions
2024
Submissions
2023
| May | 2023–2024 Budget |
| April | Early Years Strategy submission |
| April | A National Vision for Early Childhood Education and Care |
| January | 2023–2024 Pre-budget submission |
Submissions
2022
2021
2020
| August | |
| May | Review of ECEC Relief Package |
| March | Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Flexibility Measures) Bill 2020 |
| March | Education in remote and complex environments |
2019
2018
| December | ECA Pre-Budget Submission 2018-19 |
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
Position Statements
Statement on the inclusion of every child in early childhood education and care (Oct 2016)
ECA is committed to the inclusion of every child in early childhood education and care. Inclusion means that every child has access to, participates meaningfully in, and experiences positive outcomes from early childhood education and care programs. This statement explains inclusion. It outlines why inclusion is important, and it sets out what is required from everyone involved in the delivery of early childhood education and care to ensure inclusion of every child.
Copies of the Statement are available for free to download here. Please also find the accompanying Factsheet on The experience of inclusion and exclusion in early childhood education and care available for download here.
Statement of Intent on Supporting Children’s Rights
The Australian Early Years Learning Framework states that ‘early childhood educators will reinforce in their daily practice the principles laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’ (2009, p.5). In 2014, Early Childhood Australia worked with our members, child rights advocates, academics and experts in the sector to develop Supporting young children’s rights: statement of intent (2015 – 2018) . The statement is designed to support teachers, educators, the community, families and children to ethically and authentically support the rights of children in early childhood; to understand and implement child rights education in early childhood education and care settings, and to advocate for children’s rights.
Order copies of the statement here.
Download the statement for free here.
ECA’s free resources on children’s rights are available here.
The inclusion of children with a disability in early childhood education and care
This joint position statement by Early Childhood Australia (ECA) and Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA) sets out our shared commitment to inclusion in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Its purpose is to create a vision for high quality inclusive practices in early childhood education and care.
Download the position statement here.
Evidence Briefs
Evidence Brief on Two Days of Subsidised Early Childhood Education and Care for all Children
This Brief outlines the evidence for providing two days of subsidised quality early learning for all children.
The full Evidence Brief can be downloaded here.
Staff to Child Ratios and Educator Qualification Requirements of the National Quality Framework
This summary has been prepared to support the staff to child ratios and educator qualification requirements contained in the Early Childhood Education and Care National Quality Framework (NQF) currently being implemented in Australia.
ECA believes there is a solid research base that suggests that these two components are critical to achieving quality education outcomes for young children. This summary is a brief review of the evidence rather than a comprehensive review because its purpose is to provide a timely response to questions being raised by a minority of service providers who have not yet embraced the NQF.
Download the full Evidence Brief here.
Commissioned Reports
Distributional Modelling of Proposed Childcare Reforms in Australia
Early Childhood Australia commissioned a report from the Australian National University (ANU) Centre for Social Research and Methods on the effect of the Government’s proposed Child Care Subsidy on children and families.
Download the report here.
Other Papers
Early childhood flexibility practices and patterns report 2014
This Early Childhood Flexibility Practices and Patterns Report highlights recommendations and future directions for early childhood education and care services and governments in providing flexible arrangements for their families and local communities. The contents of the Report are illustrated through case studies, as well as data from surveys of early childhood services.
Download the report here.
Foundations for learning: Relationships between the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum
This paper, Foundations for learning, responds to requests from early childhood educators working in the non-school and school sectors for an authoritative statement explaining how the EYLF and the Australian Curriculum are aligned.
The paper was developed as a joint project between Early Childhood Australia and the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
Download the paper here.
Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia: A discussion paper
This discussion paper was developed for delegates at the European Union-Australia Policy Dialogue on 11–15 April 2011.
The aim of this discussion paper is to provide an overview of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Australia and some commentary from Early Childhood Australia (ECA) on key issues for ECEC that arise from the Australian Government’s Reform Agenda for Early Childhood Education and Care.
Download the paper here.
Expert Advisory Panel: Towards a national quality framework for early childhood education and care
The Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) was appointed by COAG to advise on a vision for an integrated and seamless system of licensing and accreditation within a national standards framework for early childhood learning and care services advise on and develop options for draft quality standards for application in ECEC settings, and advise on approaches for an A to E ratings system.
The Report led to the establishment of National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care.
Download the paper here.
A national quality framework for early childhood education and care: A discussion paper
Early Childhood Australia (ECA) paper recommends an increased focus on early childhood learning and care in the Integrated Quality Standards System (IQSS) must reflect the evidence both about high quality effective early childhood services and about broader societal issues that have implications for children’s wellbeing.
Download the paper here.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
