FWC gender undervaluation decision: what it means for OOSH staff

FWC gender undervaluation decision: what it means for OOSH staff

The Fair Work Commission has completed its review of gender-based undervaluation in the Children’s Services Award.

This review confirms that educators working in children’s services, including Outside School Hours Care (OOSH), have been undervalued because the work is female-dominated. The Commission has used its powers to correct this.

This is a major change. It affects pay rates, classification structures and how services transition staff into the new system.

What is changing

The Commission has replaced the old multi-step classification system with a simplified structure of eight Children’s Services Employee (CSE) levels.

Each level has a minimum weekly and hourly rate. These rates are higher than current award levels, with increases ranging from 9.4% to 27.8%, depending on the role.

New classification levels

• Introductory Educator

• Educator

• Qualified Educator

• Experienced Educator

• Advanced Educator

• Room Leader

• Assistant Director

• Director

The Determination inserts these new classifications and minimum rates into the Award from 1 March 2026.

How big are the increases?

Examples from the Determination show the scale of the changes:

• Qualified Educator
  Minimum rate: $1,121.80 per week or $29.52 per hour

• Advanced Educator
  Minimum rate: $1,263.30 per week or $33.24 per hour

• Director
  Minimum rate: $1,593.50 per week or $41.93 per hour

These new minimums sit above many current award levels and align OSHC with the Caring Skills benchmark used across other care-based industries.

When the increases take effect

The first increase begins on 1 March 2026, with further phased increases each 30 June until all new rates are reached.

The Commission adopted a multi-year schedule to reduce the immediate cost impact on providers.

Most employers currently receiving the Worker Retention Payment (WRP) already pay at least 15% above award, which will absorb the early stages of the transition. The more significant cost impacts occur later in the phase-in period.

How OOSH services will be affected

1. Higher wage costs across the sector

All OOSH services must apply the new classification structure.
As increases move beyond the 15% WRP uplift, services will experience stronger financial impacts. Services outside the WRP scheme will feel this earlier.

2. Full re-mapping of positions

Each educator, coordinator and director must be translated into the new classification levels using the translation table in the Determination.

OSHC-specific roles are included, such as:

• Room Leaders

• School Age Care Coordinators

3. New minimum rates for qualified cooks

Cooks who hold, or are working towards, a Certificate III and can work on the floor must now be paid according to the CSE rates, not the support worker scale.

4. Removal of the Graduate Certificate allowance

The previous qualification allowance has been removed.
Pay is now based on role value, not add-on qualifications.

What this means for OOSH workers

Higher pay

Staff will see progressive wage increases from March 2026. For many roles, this represents a significant uplift.

Clearer career structure

The eight-level system provides a clear pathway from entry-level roles through to leadership positions.

Recognition of skill and responsibility

The Commission explicitly recognised the complexity of caring work and the historical undervaluation of the sector. This is a structural correction, not a routine wage rise.

Better attraction and retention

The decision is intended to support long-term workforce stability across children’s services. OOSH services, which face ongoing staffing shortages, may benefit from improved retention over time.

What services need to do next

• Review all current staff classifications

• Prepare for translation into the new CSE levels

• Update payroll systems ahead of 1 March 2026

• Communicate changes clearly to staff

• Monitor future stages of the wage increase schedule