Coalition sending mixed signals on childcare wage rises Tony Abbott's announcement that the government will honour contracts signed by the last government to raise childcare wages has added to the confusion engulfing the sector. Labor had set aside $300 million to boost the wages of 30,000 childcare workers, an increase frozen when the Coalition came into government. The money was to be spent bolstering wages by $3 an hour for certificate III childcare workers, and $6 an hour for early-childhood teachers. The starting wage for a university-educated early childhood teacher is $42,000 a year. Assistant Minister for Education Sussan Ley commissioned a report on the short-term wage increases. She had been promising to outline the government's response for weeks, but it is understood Mr Abbott's parliamentary announcement in question time on Thursday took her by surprise. On Friday, Ms Ley said the Coalition's election commitment continued to stand. A spokesman for childcare provider Goodstart Early Learning, which has 641 centres across Australia, said it was seeking clarification from the government. with Dan Harrison