Reform Requires Respect: A Letter on Pay, Parity and Retention
We are in the middle of one of the most ambitious early childhood reforms Victoria has ever undertaken, and yet the workforce delivering it feels increasingly invisible. VECTEA 2026 negotiations are still underway, but meaningful salary progression remains stalled. Level 3 teachers are experiencing pay compression. Funding supplements linked to teacher classification are flowing into systems without guaranteed improvements to teacher pay or conditions. Ratios are shifting. Expectations are rising. Retention continues to decline.
Universal kindergarten cannot succeed without a stable, respected, properly remunerated workforce. Given this reality, I wrote the letter below to The Hon. Lizzie Blandthorn. I am sharing it here in the hope that other Early Childhood Teachers will consider doing the same.
Silence has not protected our profession. Collective advocacy might.
Dear The Hon. Lizzie Blandthorn,
I am writing as a full-time Level 3.1 Early Childhood Teacher and Educational Leader working in free sessional kindergarten in Victoria. I care deeply about the success of universal three and four year old kindergarten, and the outcomes we deliver for children and families. However, I am increasingly concerned about pay equity, retention, and the way recent funding changes are impacting teachers on the ground.
Following the July 2025 wage movement under Victorian Early Childhood Teachers and Educators Agreement (VECTEA 2020), Levels 3.1 to 3.4 are currently paid the same salary (approximately $100,311). While this addressed minimum wage adjustments, it has created salary compression and removed meaningful progression for experienced teachers.
At the same time, recent kindergarten funding changes and the Early Childhood Teachers Award supplement are now directly tied to teachers who are classified at Level 2.5 and above. At my workplace, most teachers sit at Level 2.5 or higher. This has brought additional funding into our Early Years Management system, yet there has been no corresponding improvement in conditions, not even something as simple as a paid tea break, let alone a meaningful pay rise for the teachers whose qualifications and classifications are generating that funding.
It is deeply disheartening to see significant public investment flowing into reforms and other high profile funding priorities, while the highly qualified women delivering early childhood education continue to experience pay compression and limited recognition. Free kindergarten has been expanded with great ambition, yet the workforce underpinning it appears to be an afterthought.
As a female-dominated profession, early childhood education has long struggled for pay parity and professional recognition. It is especially disappointing to see a government and cabinet with strong female representation not taking stronger steps to protect and elevate the rights, conditions and wellbeing of the women who sustain this sector.
If Victoria is serious about delivering high quality universal kindergarten, the workforce must be central to reform, not secondary to it. As negotiations for VECTEA 2026 continue, I urge the Government to:
Restore meaningful salary differentials between Level 3.1 - 3.4.
Ensure funding supplements tied to teacher classifications translate into tangible improvements in pay and conditions.
Introduce or formalise a paid Educational Leader allowance that recognises leadership responsibility.
Move toward genuine parity with other qualified teaching professionals in Victoria.
We are university qualified teachers delivering education during the most formative years of a child’s life. We deserve pay structures that recognise our experience, our leadership, and the central role we play in the success of early learning reform. I remain proud to work in Victorian kindergarten and want to continue doing so. However, without structural reform and genuine workforce investment, retention challenges will only intensify.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further.
Kindly
Tammy Lawlor
Early Childhood Teacher
Founder - VSKEA