Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Let me quote this:

… the [National Minimum Wage] should be set at a level that provides sufficient incentives for people who are not employed, including those receiving unemployment benefits, to enter work. However, the [National Minimum Wage] should not be set so high as to place undue financial burdens on businesses, discouraging them from employing low skilled workers.

…   …   …

Australia has one of the highest minimum wages in the developed world.

That was not from our submission; that was from the Labor government's submission in 2013. The Labor Party, in government, made one submission after another to the minimum wage annual review. None of those submissions recommended a specific increase in minimum or award classification wages.

We know that many Australians are doing it tough. That is why we are seeking to drive more economic activity. I see the member for Lilley smiling. He made the case for cutting company tax, just as the Leader of the Opposition did, again and again, and they said it will deliver greater investment, greater productivity, greater employment and higher wages. It will put wages into the pockets of workers. The honourable member for Lilley, when he was Treasurer, had it in his budget paper. The logic is still the same; the only thing that has changed is that the Labor Party has disconnected from economics. Just like they disconnected from engineering when it comes to energy, they have completely disconnected from it.

See this speech in context