With the Greens pushing for a Productivity Commission inquiry into child care funding and a widely held belief that early childhood education and care workers aren't paid enough we asked for your views last month.

The overall impression we got is that Australia is fortunate to have many extraordinarily talented, committed and qualified ECEC professionals who are doing their job for more than just the money.

When we asked you: How much should child care workers earn? and Will a wage increase improve staff retention rates? We received some very impassioned responses including those you can see below:

"I'm an ECT and work as a room leader in a long day care centre. I hold the exact same qualification as a teacher working in primary education. My pay should match that of a primary school teacher. I work longer hours and have fewer holidays. Where is the incentive for me and other teachers to remain in the industry and not pursue a career in primary teaching instead? Equal pay" – Briony

"I have worked in the child care sector for over 20 years and yes I feel the wages are very low. It is hard to live on a low wage. A qualified child care worker with a two year Diploma only earns $23 per hour. I believe. It is only fair that we get paid more for what we do." – Bud

"I have been working in this industry for the last 16 years as Diploma, now kindergarten teacher with experience in consultation, family day care training etc. I am now in regional Queensland and am appalled at the low rate and low standards. When I asked why? I am told I should go back and complete the primary school component of my bachelors in early childhood then maybe I will get a decent job. How insulting, I don't want to work in a primary school as I am passionate about the early years. The government can waffle on about quality child care all they want, it won't change the problem of low wages and poor conditions. Wake up to yourself before you lose everyone." – Lucy

"Child workers work a lot harder than say a plumber or an electrician; yet they earn a lot less. When child care workers talk about money the society looks down upon them saying: "what matters is children not the money!" This is true but child workers have to pay their BILLS in the same way as others. The Government is picking on child workers as they know that child workers are very busy and also peaceful members of society and would not put on that much of the fuss!" – DPG

"The wage increase will assist retention; however we don't know to what extent it will affect the daily rate for child care. Wages increase, fees will increase and further increase the out of pockets for families. Child care centres which are heavily regulated require a staff ratio, but because of this payroll tax comes into play, higher super costs, worker's comp etc. CCB rates need to be reviewed, private sector payroll tax for early learning needs to be removed." – Owner

Child care is shaping up to be a big issue in this year's federal election and we look forward to seeing how the Government reacts to all this pressure in the Budget coming up next month.

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