After more than a year of stalled negotiations, hundreds of early childhood teachers and educators marched through the streets of Melbourne on Tuesday 16 September to protest what they describe as untenable working conditions. 

“Hey hey, oh oh! Excessive workloads has got to go!” On Tuesday 16 September, this chant echoed all the way to the Victorian Parliament, where 1200 kindergarten teachers and educators gathered. 

What are they asking for? 

Their demands focus on both pay and working conditions. After fifteen months of negotiations without progress, they are calling for a 35% pay increase and urgent measures to ease workloads that have become unsustainable: too little preparation time, growing administrative demands, and daily pressure that prevents them from focusing on what matters most: educating children. 

An early childhood sector in crisis 

For many, the situation is critical. Low pay and mounting workloads are eroding the profession’s appeal. An AEU survey in Victoria shows that nearly half of kindergarten teachers and educators are considering leaving their jobs, highlighting the depth of the crisis. 

“You can’t call Victoria the ‘education state’ when almost half of our kinder teachers and educators are thinking about walking away,” said Justin Mullaly, President of the AEU Victorian Branch. 

A risk for the future 

Kindergartens are already struggling to recruit and retain staff, with a growing risk of an exodus of skilled professionals that could undermine the quality of education provided to children. 

We stand in full solidarity with the teachers and educators.