Contents
1Short title#
This Act is the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Act 2026.
2Commencement#
(1)Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.
| Commencement information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
| Provisions | Commencement | Date/Details |
| 1. Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table | The day this Act receives the Royal Assent. | 18 September 2026 |
| 2. Schedule 1 | The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent. | 19 September 2026 |
Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.
(2)Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.
3Schedules#
Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.
Schedule 1 · Amendments
Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) Act 2024#
1 At the end of subsection 3(1)
Add:
; and (e) improve the quality and safety of early childhood education and care, including by increasing the number of approved child care services that hold, under the National Quality Framework, a rating level of at least Meeting National Quality Standard for quality area 2 stated in the National Quality Standard.
2 Section 5
Insert:
approved child care service has the same meaning as in the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999.
Education and Care Services National Law has the same meaning as in the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999.
National Quality Framework has the same meaning as in the Education and Care Services National Law.
National Quality Standard has the same meaning as in the Education and Care Services National Law.
3 Subsection 8(2) (note)
Repeal the note.
4 After section 8
Insert:
8ACredits to the Account#
$3,654.4 million is to be credited to the Account as soon as practicable after the commencement of this section.
Note 1: This section commences on the day after the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Act 2026 receives the Royal Assent.
Note 2: An Appropriation Act may contain a provision to the effect that, if any of the purposes of a special account is a purpose that is covered by an item in the Appropriation Act (whether or not the item expressly refers to the special account), then amounts may be debited against the appropriation for that item and credited to that special account.
5 Section 10
After “person” (wherever occurring), insert “, entity”.
6 Subsection 11(1)
Repeal the subsection, substitute:
(1)The terms and conditions of a grant made under section 10 must be set out in a written agreement between:
(a)if the recipient of the grant is a person—the Commonwealth and the recipient; or
(b)otherwise—the Commonwealth and a person acting on behalf of the recipient of the grant.
7 After subsection 11(3)
Insert:
(3A)Without limiting subsection (1), for a recipient providing an approved child care service, the terms and conditions may include:
(a)a condition that the service maintain, under the National Quality Framework, a rating level of at least Meeting National Quality Standard for quality area 2 stated in the National Quality Standard; and
(b)provisions dealing with the consequences for a breach of a condition covered by paragraph (a); and
(c)any other provisions relating to the quality and safety of the service.
8 Section 17
Omit “30 June 2028”, substitute “31 December 2029”.
9 Application of amendments
The amendments of section 11 of the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) Act 2024 made by this Schedule apply in relation to a written agreement entered into, or varied, on or after the commencement of this Schedule.
[Minister’s second reading speech made in—
House of Representatives on 12 August 2026
Senate on 14 September 2026]
(107/26)
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at legislation.gov.au, © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Compilations may have been reformatted.