Australia urgently needs qualified childcare professionals, yet many trained and experienced Child Care Workers are struggling to secure a stable future because of limited skilled migration pathways.

The Child Care Worker (ANZSCO 421111) occupation is currently not included in the skilled migration pathways for subclass 189, 190 and 491 visas. This leaves many qualified professionals dependent on employer sponsorship or temporary arrangements, despite their skills being essential to Australia's growing childcare sector.

As Australia's population grows, so does the demand for quality early childhood education and care. Childcare centres across the country need skilled, qualified and experienced workers to support Australian families and provide safe, nurturing environments for children.

Including Child Care Workers in the skilled migration program would:

Help address ongoing workforce shortages in the childcare sector.
Retain trained and experienced childcare professionals already contributing to Australia.
Provide qualified workers with a fair and transparent pathway to permanent residency.
Strengthen Australia's early childhood education and care workforce.
Support Australian families who rely on accessible and quality childcare services.
Reduce the sector's reliance on temporary workers and employer sponsorship alone.
Many childcare professionals have invested years in education, training and work experience in Australia. They want to continue contributing to the community, building their careers and supporting the next generation, but without a suitable skilled migration pathway, their future remains uncertain.

We respectfully call on the Australian Government to include Child Care Worker (ANZSCO 421111) in the eligible occupation lists for skilled migration visas 189, 190 and 491.

This would be a practical and meaningful step toward addressing Australia's childcare workforce needs while giving qualified professionals the opportunity to build a secure and lasting future in Australia.

Please sign and support this petition. Together, we can advocate for a stronger childcare workforce and a fairer skilled migration pathway for qualified Child Care Workers.