Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

And I hear opposite, 'Oh, we all do.' I hear, 'We all do', from those opposite! Ten years of wanting to make sure that they didn't move! Ten years of keeping them deliberately low! And look at the different measures that we've taken already.

So, when we took the measure to put the submission in for the annual wage review, that was what they described as being a 'loose unit' with the economy; that was what they described as being 'reckless and dangerous'. That's what delivered a 5.2 per cent increase on the minimum wage. Then, they also refused to put in a submission backing aged-care workers. Well, I challenge those opposite: go to the aged-care centres around your own electorates now and let them know that, in regard to the 15 per cent that's been awarded, you were opposed to a government fighting for that. But they won't have to wait for you to do that, because those opposite are already making it clear that they're opposed to legislation that will get wages moving.

There is no doubt that if you're on an agreement you get paid more than if you're on the award. New figures came out today, and the Fair Work Commission is now regularly releasing figures as to what the pay increases are that are coming if you are on a registered agreement. They are at an average of 3.6 per cent. That's at exactly the same time that wages, at the moment, are running at 2.6 per cent. Now, we know why those opposite oppose it. The shadow Treasurer gave away why he opposed it. In one of the most extraordinary arguments against our bill, he said it pushes up wages. It pushes up wages; that was his reason for opposing it.

But it went to a new level today. And I do have to thank the Leader of the Opposition; I'm so glad that, when you did the reshuffle, you kept Michaelia Cash where she was. Remember that previously Senator Cash had said Labor policy would end the weekend, from which we had presumed that Monday to Friday were therefore still available. Today, the bill will potentially close down Australia! It will close down Australia! Those opposite have got a real sense of nuance: it will close down Australia.

Well, I'll you what: people who are watching wages run at 2.6 per cent while inflation is running at 7.3 per cent and is projected to reach eight percent want action now. They want the parliament to act now, and when they hear those opposite saying, 'Can't we just wait another month? Can't we just wait a little bit longer?' they know that they were kept waiting for 10 years while wages were deliberately kept low, and they should not be left waiting. They should not be left waiting in a situation where it becomes harder to make ends meet because the parliament has not yet acted.

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