Thousands of childcare workers across Australia have gone on strike, demanding better wages for one of Australia's most poorly paid professions. Workers, advocates and parents joined public protests calling for the Federal Government to increase funding to the female-dominated sector.
Twenty past three in the afternoon may not be the end of a typical work day, but early childhood educators say it's the time they stop being paid.
Childcare workers across the country used this so-called "free time" to demand a pay rise.
Parents were forced to leave their own jobs early to pick up their children as a result of the largest walk-off in the sector's history in Australia.
But despite the inconvenience, many parents say they support the strike.
Garima Shrivastav has worked in childcare sector for several years. She says with a four-year degree in childhood education, we can only expect an average annual income of less than $53,000 - far below the national full-time average.
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