Bill Shorten is flagging higher pay for early childhood workers after already promising to give 700,000 Australian children more preschool hours.
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As early childhood educators are predominantly female, Mr Shorten says this has resulted in lower wages.
"I don't think it's fair ... so we will have more to say on a better pay deal for early childhood educators," he told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.
The Fair Work Commission dismissed early childhood union United Voice's case calling for equal pay in February, while workers recently walked off the job in protest for the fourth time in 18 months.
The opposition announced it will scrap up-front TAFE fees for 10,000 people wanting to study early education if it wins the next election, a day after making a $1.75 billion promise to give 700,000 three and four-year-olds extra preschool.
But Vocational Education Minister Michaelia Cash says the number of workers entering the childcare sector is keeping pace with demand.
"Last financial year labour market analysis found there was no skills shortage in early education in any state or territory," she said in a statement on Friday.
"Enrolments in government-subsidised early childhood education programs have increased from 71,000 in 2012 to almost 78,000 in 2017."
Mr Shorten has said the demand is significant, predicting almost 300,000 more children will need early education places in the next financial year compared to three years ago.
The states and territories will have to dip into their budgets to meet Labor's election promise, with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announcing a $5 billion package for preschool on the same day as the federal package.
Labor says it will also fund the promise through changes to tax arrangements, such as negative gearing, and is confident the states and territories will support the plan.
But Mr Shorten was coy about who he had spoken to about the pledge, saying Labor had consulted "plenty of people".
Senior coalition minister Christopher Pyne says Labor's numbers don't add up.
"They haven't consulted with the states and territories and they are writing cheques the bank won't cash," he told the Nine Network on Friday.
The coalition government is spending $440 million in 2019 to ensure 348,000 children have access to 15 hours of early learning and are addressing low attendance rates before further funding is announced.
Labor's announcement is part of a wider pledge - announced in this year's budget reply - to abolish up-front fees for 100,000 TAFE places.
Australian Associated Press
